OSHA Presents a Business Case for Safety
Why should business owners care about safety, and what does safety excellence look like? Responding to those questions, OSHA, Abbott, and The Center for Business and Public Policy at Georgetown University teamed to create "The Business Case for Safety," a presentation designed for the business community. Started as an outgrowth of the organizations' work together on an Illinois health care initiative, the project evolved and is now offered as a downloadable workshop on OSHA's Web site at http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/success_stories/compliance_assistance/abbott/abbott_casestudies/index.html.
The program is comprised of 70 slides that managers and business leaders can use to make the case that safety is not only the right thing to do but that it is also good business, adding a competitive advantage while improving employee morale and efficiency, company productivity, and access to global markets. The presentation includes various short case studies, figures, and flowcharts that show the many ways an emphasis on safety and health can contribute to an organization's strategy and enhance its reputation while also helping to control costs across the board.
The presentation makes the case that safety cannot be treated separately from strategic and financial goals of an organization. Covering everything from ergonomic improvements in manufacturing to fleet safety, the case studies illustrate how strong safety and health programs correlate with profitability. "Safety is not an expense--it is an investment," the program concludes.