Safety vs productivity in UK workplaces
The idea that safety and productivity are mutually exclusive is a dangerous one that can lead to employee danger and injury. The truth is that employees who are healthy and happy are more productive. Research from Oxford University discovered an undeniable link between productivity and happiness, in fact, with happy workers being 13% more productive.
In addition to the impact of happiness on worker productivity, it should be noted that safety also has a direct impact upon worker efficiency. Workplaces with lower incidences of injury are also the most productive, with those posting the best efficiency reporting an injury frequency rate 18 times lower than the average.
Keeping employees safe and productive at the same time does not have to be a complicated goal. From minimising physical safety hazards to lowering the risk of legal problems from injured workers, the link between productivity and safety can improve workforce efficiency and harmony.
Employers’ responsibilities for employee safety at work
Employers are responsible for their employees’ safety, welfare and health in the workplace. This includes conducting regular risk assessments and following up on the results with additional or revised safety regulations designed to address any discovered deficiency.
More specifically, employers must give their employees information about the potential risks they might face in their position, and how they are taking action to mitigate the potential for injury. They must also consult with employees, be it via a safety representative or directly from the supervisor, on issues related to workplace health and safety.
Do workers believe that productivity is more important than safety?
While the law is clear about employers’ responsibilities for the health of their employees, the informal perception of safety vs productivity among workers paints a far different picture. In the US, for example, a 2015 survey conducted by the National Security Council found that one-third of the country’s workers believe that productivity is more important than their safety in the workplace.
This perception is based upon the priorities that employers set for their workforce. These frequently place meeting quotas as more important than remaining safe while at work, which reasonably drives the belief that personal safety should take second place to workplace efficiency. This can result in a workforce that is willing to cut safety corners in order to meet productivity goals. A mechanic sacrificing personal safety for corporate efficiency might rush to complete a project, for example, which might in turn lead to rushing around the workplace. This increases the chances of encountering dangerous situations such as slips and falls.
The employee from the above example will likely say that they were rushing to avoid falling behind their daily quotas. This is how safety is treated as far less important than efficiency and profit, resulting in elevated instances of workplace injury and illness as well as steep ongoing costs such as those discussed below.
Mitigating physical workplace hazards
Workplace injuries from physical safety hazards are an expensive prospect for employers. They face various bills to cover once an employee has been injured, including:
- Medical expenses
- Litigation expenses
- Indirect costs
- Property losses
- Noncompliance fines
- Workers’ compensation payments
In addition to the costs explained above, employers must contend with the loss of skilled employees in either the short or long term. This is especially true when employees suffer fatal injuries on the job, a figure that has previously been estimated as a multi-million loss per each lost life.
According to the HSE, more than one million employees are injured or become ill as a direct result of their work in Great Britain. This translates to costs of more than £5bn in injury payments and more than £10bn in ill health payments.
The good news is that no workplace has to place productivity over safety and open themselves up to expensive accidents. Even highlighting serious physical workplace hazards via signage or PPE can help reduce the likelihood of serious injury or illness. Investing in quality workplace protection tools might pay for themselves many times over thanks to the injury-related savings they offer.
Case studies in safety vs productivity incidents
There are countless examples of the danger that rushing while on the job can have upon productivity and profits alike.
Consider the case of a meter reader who incurred a serious back injury while descending from a client’s deck. The employee was already looking ahead to their next job, perhaps to get a head start on the work to further boost productivity and neglected to pay attention to their surroundings. As a result, they slipped and fell on the way back to the truck and were unable to carry out their job tasks at full capacity until they were properly healed.
Another example of this took place when a few employees were hit with a 12-kV primary that had split in two sections and fell after a falling tree impacted it. A safety assessment later revealed that the employees had been too busy meeting their quotas to follow basic grounding safety and switching procedures were not followed, leading to the preventable accident.
Workplace safety often falls behind productivity among employees and employers alike. This can lead to costly accidents and a lack of efficiency while workers recover or until new talent can be found. If workplaces focus on safety, this would benefit in happier employees, and in turn create a more productive workplace.