How to Convince Management to Invest in EH&S
We thought this was a great question that deserved some more attention. Here they are, 3 things you should say to convince management to invest in safety. If you missed the webinar, check out a copy of the slide deck at the bottom of this post.
1.) Safety First
This is a simple argument. Safety should come first at any organization. Many organizations say that safety comes first until it's time for them to put their money where there mouth is. If you want to improve your safety programs, go to management with ways in which safety is not coming first, reasons why they're a danger and a solution to improving those situtations.
2.) Money Savings
Employee injuries or lack of compliance can lead to a variety of expenses. Convince management using the numbers: that a small investment in improving safety planning and training can result in huge cost savings in the future. When an employee is injured, an employer must pay them compensation for work missed. There is also often a lag in productivity and training time must be invested if the employee has to be replaced. Come prepared with industry-specific information on the cost of employee injuries.
There's plenty of info online out there to support your case. Here's a great infographic on the ROI of safety. Also, OSHA has a software that allows you to assess the impact of injuries on your company's profitability.
3.) Non-Monetary Costs
Safety is one of few business issues that's about more than just the numbers, the cost of an employee fatality or serious injury is very high. Not only does it impact your business, but it also impacts the families and loved ones of those that are injured. In addition, businesses with frequently injured employees can gain a negative reputation.