Accidents in the workplace are common and, to a certain point, completely unavoidable. Some will be caused by human error, and others will be caused by negligence. They all have one thing in common. They could end up costing your business an absolute fortune. Do they have to? Of course not! It may not be possible to avoid accidents completely, but you can stop them destroying your business.
Your first step is to make sure that you are getting insurance for your company. Without insurance, you’re in the water without a safety ring. It’s only a matter of time before you start to sink. The best insurance providers can provide you with a full, general coverage. This will include workers compensation if any of your employees are injured. In some areas, having workers compensation can stop employees from being able to make a claim. Instead, they have to accept the amount that you award them for the injury. This isn’t the case with every business industry, but it is an advantage that’s worth looking into.
Health and safety officers can show that you have taken steps to keep your work environment safe. Health and safety officers will monitor the work environment and make sure there are no issues that you lead to an expensive claim. Without someone checking your business, it’s easy for small issues to be completely overlooked. Health and safety officers can be people who have already been appointed in your business. Or, they can be new hires. It tends to depend on the size of your company.
You need to be careful with how you handle your employees. Rules and regulations have changed, and you should know how these changes affect you as a business owner. Remember, that claims may not just be for an accidental physical injury. If your employee hires an accident lawyer, it could be to deal with an emotional injury that they have suffered. This could be due to a case of office bullying or harassment. You must make sure that these are not issues in your office. If they are, they could lead to your company developing a poor reputation and having trouble with your image.
Finally, you may want to think about investing in more training for your staff. At first, the ROI for this training might seem marginal. Particularly, if you don’t experience any more health or safety issues. However, that is precisely the point of the training. It will help you avoid problems with workers getting hurt or having to deal with emotional problems. Even just educated employees on the problem of bullying can lead to fewer cases. As such, training your employees will make your business stronger and healthy too. Due to this, you might also see improvements in productivity and efficiency. Remember, a happy worker will always be a better resource for your business.
We hope you use this advice to reduce the damage of injury claims in your company.
Black and Latinx Founders featured in 'Founding in Color'