Accidents Cost Money

Safety organizations, states, small business owners and major corporations alike now realize that the actual cost of a lost workday injury is substantial. For every dollar you spend on the direct costs of a worker's injury or illness, you will spend much more to cover the indirect and hidden costs. Consider what one lost workday injury would cost you in terms of: 

• Productive time lost by an injured employee; 
• Productive time lost by employees and supervisors attending the accident victim; 
• Clean up and start up of operations interrupted by the accident; 
• Time to hire or to retrain other individuals to replace the injured worker until his/her return; 
• Time and cost for repair or replacement of any damaged equipment or materials; 
• Cost of continuing all or part of the employee's wages, in addition to compensation; 
• Reduced morale among your employees, and perhaps lower efficiency; Increased workers' compensation insurance rates; and 
• Cost of completing paperwork generated by the incident.

Controlling Losses

If you would like to reduce the costs and risks associated with workplace injuries and illnesses, you need to address safety and health right along with production.

Setting up an Injury and Illness Prevention Program helps you do this. In developing the program, you identify what has to be done to promote the safety and health of your employees and worksite, and you outline policies and procedures to achieve your safety and health goals.

For more information on how to set up and monitor your company's IPP program - visit CAL/OSHA's website at the following link:
http://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/dosh_publications/IIPP.html#3