From the top of an organization down, we can all agree that we want our companies to run as efficiently as possible AND be the safest environment it can be for all employees, right? This goal is easy when you hire the right people- safety staff hired by us! Safety professionals play economic and ethical roles and we’ve done the research to make this case.
The economic role of safety professionals.
We know that corporate management has goals that they want to accomplish in productivity and revenue, but here’s the thing: safety professionals share the same goals.
We’ve seen success when management promotes safety solutions that achieve goals such as efficiency. How do we measure success? Perhaps this definition resonates with you: “Success is clearly dependent on the quality and wellbeing of your workforce” – NCS
We want to present a business case for you to invest in your organization’s safety because the long-term benefits far outweigh the “costs”. This kind of investment is an investment into your greatest assets- your people.
Tangible & Intangible Benefits of Safety Investment
The benefits for investing in the safety of your organization are both tangible and intangible. David Galt from ASSE provides examples of each:
- Tangible benefits: increased revenues, decreased costs, cash glow, faster time to market, employee productivity, operational efficiency, increased capacity, decreased employee absenteeism and turnover, higher quality, increased market share, and improved customer retention.
- Intangible benefits: technical expertise, company reputation, employee morale, innovation, compliance risk, and political support or influence.
ASSE argues that managers will determine the contribution of safety programs according to the impact on the following priorities:
1. Control costs.
2. Comply with regulations, government mandates, judicial interpretations or directives.
3. Support business initiatives (strategies for growth, new technologies, competitive advantage).
4. Enhance the organization’s image and reputation (public relations, reporting, disclosure).
5. Everything else such as investor demands, employee considerations, insurance…
We put our investments in what we value. If we value the tangible and intangible benefits mentioned above, we will invest in safety professionals without thinking of it as a “cost”.
The ethical roles of safety professionals.
OSH professional organizations have developed codes of ethical behavior for members, which can be defined as the making of sound choices that reflect the professional view of prudent conduct, including factors such as honesty, integrity, and accuracy.
Unsafe conditions and accidents are symptoms of problems in the organizational management system. In this philosophy, senior management ultimately is responsible for building an ethical system that effectively can analyze and control workplace hazards…
We do believe ethics start from the top of the organization and filters down, but we hire and train our safety professionals that have such strong ethics that they can provide positive influence on a job site.
…safety professionals must promote a more ethical approach to managing their own profession. This strategy requires moral courage, conviction and professional unity, including a bottom-up approach at their worksites and through professional organizations, and understanding the need to look out for workers and the public…
If you would like to continue this conversation, we would love to further discuss the different roles that safety professionals play. Our safety professionals are high quality, experienced employees that can add value to your organization. Click here to read more and give us a call at 225-753-1909!