When it comes to health and safety training, the size of your company doesn’t matter—health and safety hazards are everywhere. As such, it is imperative, and a requirement by most governments around the world, that all employees receive health and safety training. Even if the training is expensive, it provides benefits to both the company and its employees and prevents more expenses in the future.
As an employer, health and safety training helps you keep your company running at the required standards. Let’s take a look at the five ways health and safety training can benefit your business:
1. Saves money
A company whose employees know how to protect themselves against accidents at work will have low insurance premiums. The training satisfies the insurance company that the risk of an accident happening is negligible. Therefore, it’s unlikely you’ll be making many claims.
When an accident occurs at work, the costs of covering any fines, compensation, and legal fees are high. Health and safety training ensures that you avoid such costs because your employees will follow all the stipulated protocols to protect themselves and the company.
2. Fulfills the requirements made by the law
It is a legal requirement for all companies to provide health and safety training to their employees. This is particularly important in companies that deal with heavy machinery and hazardous materials. However, even companies whose employees don’t deal with any dangerous equipment and materials are required to offer such training.
According to the Health and Safety Act, the employer has to provide any information, instructions, training, and supervision that ensures the health and safety at work for their employees. If you ignore this, you can be held personally responsible, fined, and imprisoned for any accidents that occur at work.
3. Reduces the risk of accidents
Trained employees can spot and prevent any threat to their safety and that of the company.
4. Builds the company’s reputation
Employees value companies that provide good care for them. A good way to show them that they are valuable and protected by the company is by offering them health and safety training.
Health and safety training also paints a good image to clients and attracts talented employees.
Conversely, if a company neglects its duty to safeguard its employees, word will spread, and it will ruin your reputation. It, therefore, is in your best interest to do what’s best for the company and your employees.
5. Increases productivity
Employees who are aware of their safety tend to be more productive than employees who have no clue if the next step they take will lead to an injury. Therefore, it is essential to offer them training because it will only build a better workforce.
Health and safety training builds positive energy toward the company, increasing employee morale and inspiring them to perform better.
The ripple effect of anything you do or don’t do for your employees will always show. Offering them health and safety training will reap benefits for your company in the long run. The costs of ensuring safety are cheaper than dealing with the aftermath of an accident.
David Rowland, head of Marketing at Effective Software, is one of the foremost proponents of a stringent health and safety policy. He claims that a positive health and safety culture is vitally important, and that it can have a knock on effect on your business’ key performance indicators (KPIs) and bottom line. Rowland joined Effective Software after working with several software-as-a-service (SAAS) companies to further their marketing functions. When he isn’t marketing he enjoys traveling.
