Employees leave for a variety of reasons. One of the leading causes for employee turnover is an unsafe working environment. Safe working conditions are extremely important for the well-being of your staff as well as substantial cost savings.
Workers' compensation claims can accumulate rapidly, placing significant financial strain on businesses. Unsafe working conditions directly contribute to employee turnover, which comes at a substantial cost. Recruiting and training replacement staff not only increases overheads but also reduces productivity during the transition period. Whilst retaining experienced, productive employees is clearly the optimal solution, identifying effective retention strategies isn't always straightforward.
The primary way to increase employee retention is to demonstrate genuine care for employees and what matters to them. Managers can help employees focus on the demands of their roles and recognise the skills, knowledge, and talents they bring to their work. For industrial workers, there is no better way to create comfortable working conditions than to address the most fundamental human need: safety. A variety of precautions must be implemented to establish the safest possible working environment for your staff.
The easiest, most effective, and efficient way to reduce workers’ compensation costs is to be proactive in creating a safe working environment for your employees. There are various aspects of safety to consider when evaluating new products and fixtures.
Slips and falls are amongst the costliest accidents for businesses, but they do not have to be. There are several preventative measures a company can implement to make its facility a safer working environment. According to the HSE, slips, trips, and falls account for over 300,000 reported major injuries in UK workplaces each year. Companies can install guardrails and handrails to reduce the number of falls and use slip-resistant surfaces to minimise the number of slips.
The cost of an injured worker extends far beyond medical expenses, lost wages, and higher insurance premiums. In fact, the indirect costs are staggering. Production losses from absent workers quickly accumulate, resulting in reduced output and potential inventory shortages. If you need to replace the injured worker, recruitment costs mount rapidly—from administrative expenses and paperwork to the substantial investment required to train a new employee. Even with a replacement in place, the loss of experience and expertise will inevitably slow production. Furthermore, workplace injuries tend to lower team morale, which creates additional hidden costs for the company.
The hidden costs make the direct costs just the tip of the iceberg. Given these substantial expenses, it's clear that the best solution is to create a safe working environment to prevent injuries altogether—and there's no better place to start than at ground level: the floor.