A safe workplace has regularly been shown to improve employee morale, productivity and retention while a good company safety record provides competitive advantages when pitching for new business.Furthermore, reducing injuries on the worksite directly saves money.

Safe Work Australia states that the average workplace injury costs around $99,100 – borne by the injured worker, the community and the employer.With such a significant outlay being spent on what are usually preventable injuries, cutting costs with cheaper and questionable personal protection equipment (PPE) seems an unwise strategy.

While PPE in Australia should adhere to Australian safety standards, stories of worksite audits finding non-compliant PPE are all too common, with industry leaders stressing the importance of using high quality gear. Choosing a supplier of personal protective equipment like ProChoice who goes the extra mile with NATA-accredited, independent Australian safety standards compliance certification, along with voluntarily auditing of manufacturing processes, is a solid business strategy. While a cheaper PPE brand might – or in many cases, might not – cost a few bucks less, it could end up costing someone’s livelihood, or life, along with a significant financial outlay for all involved.

Further to the immediate financial cost of a workplace injury, a lack of employee safety – perceived or real – will likely lead to employee frustration causing lower job satisfaction, reduced productivity and job disconnection along with higher staff turnover.

With the cost of replacing an employee estimated to be somewhere between 50 and 200% of their annual salary, depending on their role and seniority, any investment in their safety with quality protective workwear, equipment and systems is likely to pay for itself many times over.

A clearly communicated and detailed safety program will not only lead to higher productivity and worker retention but is also likely to enhance the business’ reputation, attracting quality workers and increasing business wins. Safety performance indicators including Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) are required in many tender applications and having a good record and a history of investment in safety will only serve you well when pitching for business.

Safety performance indicators also influence insurance premiums and a good record will lead to further savings.

While the protection of workers’ livelihood alone is enough to justify strong safety systems and the investment in high quality protective workwear and PPE, the cost benefit of these measures means their implementation should be a no-brainer.

Financial savings can be found in increased productivity, reduced injury costs and staff turnover, lower insurance premiums and an enhanced business reputation leading to greater business wins and the attraction of high quality workers.