Businesses that invest in the health and safety of their employees can achieve increased profitability. Learn how.

Good practice leads the business to increase its profitability. Are you aware that the inadequate/inappropriate Health and Safety conditions at the workplace are detrimental for workers, businesses, but also for the State? However, improvements in health and safety policies and practices can be beneficial to all.

Companies that invest in Health and Safety of their employees and beyond the legislation minimum requirements, can achieve increased profitability, as it turns out.

According to a study by the European Union Occupational Safety and Health Agency (EU-OSHA) for every 1 euro invested in the OHS it brings back a profit of 2.2 euros.  Moreover, other surveys show that companies with exemplary Health and Safety programs exceed the S&P 500 (Standard & Poor’s 500 Index) by 3-5%.

The implementation of good practice benefits the workers, as well as the businesses and the national health systems. Countries with Advanced Health and Safety at Work (OSH) Management Systems are earning valuable resources, preventing injuries and occupational illnesses.

Specific multiple benefits for the business:

• Improving workers’ productivity.
• Reductionof their absenteeism.
• Reductionof compensation needs.
• Increase of the eligibility rating of your business in contracting, both in the public and the private sectors.

The benefits for the employee do not stop at end of the shift!

The modern holistic approach is aimed at promoting the health, safety and wellness, -in one word the “well-being” of the employees-ensuring a healthy work environment, risk-free of any hazards even the psychosocial one. 

Moreover, as it is recognizing the two-way influence of the work parameters with those of personal life (“work – life balance”), as the first continues to affect people outside the place or time (of work) and the latter vice versa, it is addressing the issue as a whole. The anthropocentric culture transfers the care from work to the life of every employee, giving the greatest possible benefit to him.

Effective prevention policies.
Which management (methodology) is proposed by the NIOSH (National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health) of America.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health at Work (NIOSH), proposes an integrated approach for the Management of the Health and Safety of Employees who perform office work with prolonged seating. For the effectiveness of the prevention policies it recommends to employers and the heads of Human Resources departments the following conduct:

• Supporting the Upper Managementand employees’ involvement in all Health and Safety initiatives.
• Encouraging the participationof employees and their representatives in the design and implementation of procedures and practices for reducing the deskbound work and promoting physical activity.
• The Commitment of the Top Management to any program aiming to promote the well-being of employees.
• The Evaluation of existing resourcesand policies, programs and practices to be used to promote physical activity and to anticipate future needs.
• The provision to employees ofmore autonomy in the distribution of workhours and workload.
• The Creation, as possible, of areas for the work-breaks, to use them at regular intervals.
• The trainingof the Administration and of the heads of departments, on the addressing to and the reducing of the work-related stress, faced by workers.
• The principle that employees’ involvement in any intervention is voluntary.
• The Enrichmentof the existing occupational safety and health programs, with EAP (Employee Assistance Programs) services and programs, aimed at the personal development of employees.
• The provision of incentivesthat support and encourage the physical activity.
• The regular evaluationof the health and safety management programs and making of the necessary adjustments, if necessary.
• The training of the employees in office safety.