On-the-job accidents can cause serious injuries that can have a devastating and lasting impact on an entire company. Often, owners and managers don’t foresee all the ways that injuries can affect their business and don’t realize why preventing accidents is so important.
Loss of Productivity
If a skilled employee gets hurt and is unable to work, an entire project or department can be affected. Other employees might have to scramble to meet deadlines. They might feel overwhelmed, especially if the employee who was injured had valuable knowledge or skills that other members of the team don’t have. If a vital project falls behind schedule, that can deal a blow to the company’s profits, as well as its relationships with customers and its overall reputation.
Costs to Hire and Train New Workers
If an employee gets injured and can’t work, the business might be forced to hire a replacement. The company will have to recruit and screen candidates, then provide training for the new hire. All of that will cost money.
The process of finding and training the right person can take weeks, or even months. In the meantime, the company’s operations and productivity can suffer.
Legal Fees and Fines
If a company doesn’t follow safety protocols and an accident occurs, the injured person might file a lawsuit. The business can be forced to spend a large amount of money on legal fees and might have to pay a substantial sum to settle the case. The company can also face fines from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and other regulatory bodies for failing to adhere to safety standards.
Damage to Morale
Workers tend to bond with each other and form tight-knit teams. If an employee gets hurt on the job, other workers might be distracted because of concerns about that person, and they might worry that the same type of accident might happen to them. They might be angry at their supervisor or at the company as a whole if they believe that negligence or indifference led to a preventable accident.
Workplace injuries can also impact public perception of the company. If an accident garners public attention, that can make it difficult for the business to hire and retain employees in the future.
How to Prevent Workplace Injuries
Providing appropriate training can reduce the risk of accidents and help your company maintain a dedicated team. UniShield offers several workplace training programs that are designed to serve the needs of a wide range of Southern California businesses.
Some of our most popular classes are on CPR and first aid, workplace safety, and OSHA compliance. We also offer programs that teach workers how to safely use a forklift, handle bloodborne pathogens, and perform other job-specific tasks. Contact us today to schedule a training session for your team.