Safety means something different to every level within an organisation. It is intricately linked to financial returns, to operational processes and procedures and to creating a safety culture where people will stop hurting themselves while looking out for each other.
Too often these 3 categories are kept far apart, yet we need to be thinking of safety culture as an intricate link to productivity, wellness, morale, interdependence and therefore both safety and performance.
The Challenge for Safety Professionals
Safety professionals are often the ones stuck between a rock and a hard place. They have profit and productivity demands, but are also the ones who see when there are risks happening on the ground. The human factor stares them in the face on a daily basis, but there are often limitations to how much they can do about it.
Myosh presents some very interesting stats behind the ROI of safety culture.
- Comcare reveals an average ROI of $5.81 for every dollar invested into WHS
- Stock Market Performance of companies recognised for health and safety found an average annual return of 6%, double the market average of 3%
- Companies in the top 20 percent for operational efficiency achieved an injury frequency rate of just 0.05 – 18 times lower than the industry average
Benefits of a Strong Safety Culture
A healthy safety culture improves work performance and productivity, reduces costs associated with absenteeism, presenteeism, retains existing employees through an improved culture, as well as improving the organisation’s brand. The ROI of safety culture is strong.
It can be an uphill battle being an early adopter of the benefits of creating a human-centred safety culture, but perseverance will pay off and results will start proving themselves.
Often it can take just a conversation to start shifting a culture, something that no-one at any level can argue with. Once you get people talking, they start keeping safety more front of mind than before, which leads to awareness, accountability and achievement.
As Jim Collins would say – “Create your own unit of exquisite excellence, and the results will follow.”
If you would like to see real-world examples showing the impact of improving site safety culture, contact me on 0420 204 982 or email deborah@deborahkeep.com for a copy of my own case studies with current clients.