When asking small business owners why they don’t fulfill OSHA training requirements the most common responses are that it (1) takes time away from employees' productivity, (2) it costs too much, and/or (3) there's no one at the facility knowledgeable enough to conduct the training. Any of these answers can be a result of owners not understanding how performing workplace safety training can actually save their businesses money, increase productivity, and raise employee morale.
Per OSHA, workplace fatalities, injuries, and illnesses cost the country billions of dollars every year. OSHA's publication Business Case for Safety and Health can be found here. Employers need to consider the following benefits of employee safety training.
Lower Insurance/Worker’s Compensation Cost
Conducting employee safety training can result in fewer accidents/injuries in the workplace and can directly affect worker's compensation insurance premiums so they remain low. Check with your insurance company to ask if they offer a premium savings or discount to companies who have safety programs that include conducting employee training on the hazards in their workplace. Minimizing a company's work-related injuries and illnesses directly affects insurance rates.
Increase Productivity/Decrease Downtime
Workplace injuries increase employee absenteeism, increase retraining cost of replacement employees, and can affect the quality of your product or service. Proper workplace safety training on the hazards in the workplace will produce a safer more productive employee. Safe workplaces provide the consistency and reliability that results in increased productivity and profits.
Raise Employee Morale
With the workforce challenges employers are facing today, every employer needs an edge. Many employees now inquire about safety in the workplace. It's not uncommon for candidates to ask about the company's safety program which can give an employer the benefit of finding and retaining employees. A safe employee is a happy employee and a happy employee is a productive employee. Injuries and illnesses in the workplace can lower productivity, morale, and ultimately decrease profits. Businesses who train employees on their safety and health program have fewer injuries, are often rated “better places to work,” and have more satisfied, more productive employees.
Learn more about customized health & safety training options for dentistry.
Avoid Increased OSHA Fines
OSHA increases penalties each year. In order to avoid these hefty penalties, it is more important than ever to assess the hazards, implement controls to minimize or eliminate the hazards, and communicate through training the employer's safety rules. According to OSHA not only are employers required to have certain written health and safety programs, but they must perform employee training. This training should be performed upon hire, when new hazards enter the workplace, and in some cases annually. If your business is the target of an OSHA inspection, then you may be asked to produce documentation of all workplace safety training. If you cannot prove your employees have been trained or they do not demonstrate knowledge of your health and safety programs, then you might be subjected to substantial penalties by OSHA. Not only are the penalties difficult to deal with since they affect the company's bottom line, but the time and effort it takes to correct the citations and respond to OSHA can be time-consuming. Find out what the top 3 most cited OSHA citations are in dentistry.
How to Achieve Dental OSHA Compliance for Your Practice
Learn more about what SafeLink Consulting can do to help your business with compliance services, including safety compliance, to meet OSHA training requirements and quality system consulting to meet FDA compliance. SafeLink Consulting assists businesses with onsite workplace safety training or interactive online safety training, infection control training, HIPAA training online, quality systems, assessments, audits, due diligence, and more. Contact SafeLink Consulting.
Industries include:
Dentistry compliance - assisting the dental practice with meeting requirements for OSHA, HIPAA, EPA, and CDC guidelines, patient safety and employee health & safety
Dental Laboratory compliance - assisting the dental lab with meeting requirements for OSHA, FDA, and CDC guidelines, employee health & safety, plus FDA requirements for lab manufacturing custom implant abutment /gmp for medical device manufacturers
Medical Device Manufacturers compliance - assisting with meeting OSHA compliance & FDA requirements, GMP - good manufacturing practices
General Industry compliance - assisting with OSHA compliance and FDA compliance as it pertains to the specific business
Beverage Industry compliance - assisting beverage businesses such as the craft brewery, winery, cidery, distillery, vintner with meeting OSHA compliance, health & safety, FDA requirements / GMP - Good Manufacturing Practices.
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