Houston Businesses: Why is Occupational Health and Safety Important?

Updated on January 24, 2023

Texas is a premier state for businesses to relocate, expand, and grow. Its business-friendly tax regime, smart regulations, and pro-growth policies contribute to the state’s global business environment. 

Houston specifically prioritized the city’s innovation and growth. Currently, the cost of operating a business in the city is below the metro average. The city’s business-friendly climate made it one of the most preferred areas for back-office centers and corporate headquarters. 

To top it all, the local government considers occupational safety to be extremely important, making safety training Houston a must for all businesses. 

All businesses are exposed to risks. 

Occupational safety includes all aspects of mental, social, and physical health, as well as safety in the workplace. It’s a collective term to refer to the company’s initiatives and programs to avoid hazards and injuries in the work environment. 

Each industry poses different safety hazards, and the spectrum of such risks ranges from mild to imminent and severe physical dangers. Imminent causes include chemical hazards, explosions, or fires. With the correct ventilation, appropriate storage, fire extinguishers, and chemical drip trays from STOREMASTA, to name but a few safety precautions, these risks can be kept to a minimum. Milder safety hazards may consist of threats to general well-being, mental capacity, workloads, or ergonomics. The latter type of risk mostly happens in an office setting. Then again, regardless of the business, accidents can happen at any time. 

Occupational safety can save the business money 

One of the non-measurable yet most damaging consequences of safety failure is a personal loss. Mental rehabilitation, lost hands, loss of eyesight, or lost limbs can drive a person to live a new lifestyle. In worst cases, these can even drive a person to adopt a new self-identity. 

It’s hard to quantify the loss in these kinds of incidents. In aggravated cases, people can even be killed while performing their jobs. Moreover, aside from the person who died, there are other stakeholders like coworkers, family, and friends who suffer from such a tragedy. How can you even economically quantify the grief and sorrow of the people left behind?

These tragedies can negatively affect any business’s bottom line. An injured person can mean lost productive hours, which leads to a loss in the business. The more severe and damaging the injury, the faster these losses add up. 

In the US, occupational diseases and non-fatal injuries account for roughly $450B in losses. If you’re one of the decision-makers in the company, you know that productivity loss is not the only expense you will be dealing with. Chances are, if the government authorities find out that you’re not following the occupational safety standards, the company will be fined. 

Decreased morale and Higher Retention 

People need to feel safe. It’s not a surprise that after experiencing a workplace accident, employee morale takes a plunge. This can even force the best people in the company to leave and look for a greener and “safer” pasture. 

Of course, this can be prevented if the company invests in occupational health and safety training and consultation with professionals such as Safety Management Group. If you’re a new business, searching online for a service in your area that offers safety training can really help you with your occupational safety needs. 

Well-observed occupational safety and new opportunities 

The most common viewpoint about occupational safety is that it’s a cost that needs to be controlled. Instead of viewing it that way, try seeing it is an opportunity waiting to happen. 

Alcoa is a great example to illustrate this point. Alcoa is a manufacturer of aluminum products and was well-known for understanding the advantages of occupational safety. For them, occupational safety can improve the company’s profits. 

Paul O’Neil, the company’s CEO, announced his intention of making Alcoa the safest workplace in the US. He also emphasized that he only wants to hear about past fatalities and injuries. He encouraged his employees to suggest how they can improve safety in their workplace. This simple idea from the CEO helped improve the company’s culture, and later on, Alcoa increased its profits significantly. 

You may need to pay to make sure that your employees and business are safe. However, taking Alcoa’s example, the returns you get from a safe workplace can grow beyond what you initially spend. 

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