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Effective occupational health and safety is undoubtedly necessary and justified primarily for social reasons (integrity, prevention of work-related illnesses and maintenance of work and employability). In addition, however, the benefits for the respective organization, i.e. in particular the company and society, must also be considered. The question of whether occupational prevention work is also worthwhile for the company is therefore justified and of great importance for the management of a company.
For a long time, and still is the prevailing opinion in many smaller companies today, that occupational safety causes costs and that the necessary preventive measures are only worthwhile to a limited extent. Examples of good practice prove the opposite, but traditional views often continue to prevail and make it difficult to implement occupational health and safety measures in the workplace.
One Study by the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) For the first time Costs and benefits Combating occupational prevention in a balance sheet. Using various statistical methods, she uses this comparison to determine an indicator of the “economic success potential” that prevention creates - the “Return on Prevention”.
For the companies included in the study, the “return on prevention” is 2.2. This means that a euro invested in occupational health and safety results in an economic Potential for increasing success of 2.20 euros. In other words, every euro invested in occupational safety comes eventually more than twice back. We will explain to you why this is the case:
In addition to hard facts such as Return on Prevention, you can also soft factors serve as a basis for argument. Occupational safety therefore has a not inconsiderable influence on the company's external image.
Image and reputation are key value drivers for management today. Stakeholders expect companies to assume responsibility and ensure occupational safety along the entire value chain. Inadequate occupational health and safety can result in employees or external parties reporting on grievances on social media — and thus quickly reach a large public. If fatal accidents, factory collapses or other critical events occur, companies with serious Communication crises to fight. The media coverage here often lasts a long time. The consequences can lead to long-term sales losses and liquidity bottlenecks. If legal proceedings are initiated, further costs may follow. Such public crises are particularly sensitive for listed companies. Financial markets are very sensitive and have long understood the power of the media.
On the other hand, if occupational safety is practised holistically — and ideally beyond legal regulations — it supports the good reputation of companies. In this case, occupational safety is an image driver and can be integrated into reputation-promoting communication.
Every work accident that could be minimized through comprehensive occupational safety entails economic disadvantages for the company. Expenditure on occupational safety is thus offset by much higher and avoidable costs for accidents, illnesses, staff shortages and delays or disruptions in the production process.
An accident at the company results in costs for the accident insurance institution and leads to absences and inability to work. It can also be a drastic experience for those affected. The health effects and disabilities following an ind are not reversible in many cases. For this reason, it is essential for every employer that companies, occupational safety specialists and employees think together about workplace risks and appropriate accident prevention.
Such as the recently published DGB index Good work 2021 shows that occupational safety in particular has a positive effect on the well-being of employees — and thus on employee satisfaction.
When a risk assessment was carried out, not only 81% of employees felt well protected afterwards. What's more: 87% of employees considered the measures taken to protect against infection as sufficient when carrying out a risk assessment, while only 76% of employees in whose company no risk assessment had been carried out said yes.
Implementing the legally required occupational safety measures not only reduces compliance risks. Appreciation is also expressed, which can be important in the current debate and have a positive effect on the employment climate.
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