In the 2008 April issue of Facility Safety Management there is an article titled “Disabling Workplace Injuries Cost Industry $49 Billion in 2008“.  Produced annually, the Workplace Safety Index identifies the most disabling U.S. workplace injuries based on data reported from 1998 through the most recent year 2006.  Please see the charts below that reference the top five disabling injuries, what these injuries cost businesses and the national burden they cause.  The remaining five categories not included accounted for less than 20 percent of the direct cost of all the categories combined.

As you can see from these charts and information gathered for the Workplace Safety Index, falls on the same level can be very costly to both the economy and businesses.  Between 1998 and 2006, the costs of fall on same level and fall to lower level each showed increases of 17.9 percent.

At a time when uncertainty is the basis of the economy most businesses can’t afford to lose billions of dollars to one of these injuries.  Prevention is key to protecting your assets and employees.  An investment to install non slip flooring or other safety measures may seem expensive right now but ten years down the road the benefits will show.

“Disabling Workplace Injuries Cost Industry $49 Billion in 2008″ Facility Safety Management. Apr. 2009: 6-9.

In the December 2008 issue of EHS Today, Frank Pennachio wrote an article entitled “Beating the Stress of Workplace Injuries“.  In this article he talks about how it is possible for an employee to lose a job after being on medical leave due to a workplace injury.  Frank focuses on the stress, self esteem issues and social implications that this job loss causes.

We are all too familiar with job loss, its effect on society and vice versa. In his article Frank speaks about implementing a good Return-To-Work Program that guides safety professionals through what to do after a workplace injury, instead of just focusing on preventing the injury in the first place.  He says that after an injury companies must focus on proper medical treatment, a reasonable length of recovery and most importantly getting that individual back to work.  Keeping the hurt employee’s self esteem up and stress level down is very important.  Frank states that according to studies every time the unemployment rate increases 1 percent, there are 6000 more recorded deaths each year.

That is a scary number, especially looking at the unemployment rates today.   It’s easy to see that workplace injuries directly affect society.  Does your company focus on getting employees back to work, or does a workplace injury signify another job loss?

Pennachio, Frank. “Beating the Stress of Workplace Injuries.” EHS Today Dec. 2008: 29

In the American Society of Safety Engineers News, Diane Hurns submitted an article entitled “Reducing or Ignoring Workplace Safety During Business Downturns Costly, ASSE Notes“.

The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) based in Des Plaines, Illinois is the largest and oldest professional safety organization and is committed to protecting people, property and the environment. The article addresses recent reports that some companies are cutting safety processes hoping to reduce costs. The president of the ASSE, Warren K. Brown, states that “Workplace safety processes must be in place at all times, they are even more critical during business downturns”. He also makes a point that “If companies believe they will save money by reducing or ignoring safety for their workers, customers and communities they do business in, they are wrong”. This is because money cut from safety processes will have a profound cost in the future, including injury, health care costs, fines, lost production time, employee morale or even employee death. Investing in safety contributes positively to a company’s bottom line. Businesses spend about $170 billion a year on costs associated with workplace injuries and illnesses and pay almost $1 billion every week to injured employees and their medical providers. President-elect of the ASSE South Carolina Chapter adds “In order to remain viable long-term, a company must maintain a solid safety process. The most successful companies in the long term have the strongest safety performance”. (more…)