The Cost of Poor Construction Site Safety
01.06.22
The construction industry naturally has more risks than many other fields. Even the most highly trained and careful employees can fall foul of these risks, and the fatality rate from accidents is more than double the rate found in other industries.
So what costs are associated with poor construction site safety? We look at the financial and professional implications, and how Arion can help you to develop stronger health and safety and work accident investigation procedures.
Loss of Workdays
You know that in the construction industry, even a single lost workday can have a big impact on the timeframe of a project and how much money you make or lose. With workplace injuries being so common in this industry, this means that around 1.2 million workdays are lost per year in the construction industry. This is an enormous cost to employers, and to workers, and many of these injuries may be preventable with more robust health and safety in the workplace.
The Impact On Workplace Morale
Fatal injuries can definitely occur more frequently in the workplace as a result of poor construction site safety. This is proven to drag down general employee moral as it creates a negative atmosphere to those who were not a witness or affected by the incident directly. This can escalate and result to employees feeling dissatisfied with their jobs, causing an increase in production issues. Therefore, poor site safety can not only lead to devastating implications on a persons life, but also seriously harm the business’ company culture.
Long-Term Impacts
Accidents are not something that happen once and then are never thought of again. They can have an impact on your business which may have long-term echoes. In an increasingly connected age, incidents from many years ago can still be found online with a little searching. This can be bad for business, causing potential investors and clients to feel that you might not be a safe bet. Even potential employees may be less likely to take a position with you.
If you cannot also provide proof that you have a good accident incident investigation procedure and have grown and changed since such occurrences, this can have an even more profound impact.
Insurance Costs
As well as these other serious considerations, you must also remember your insurance when accidents take place. Your insurance premiums will increase for your business after an accident has occurred. Not only that but in many cases the insurance pay-out will not cover the entire cost, which could leave you out of pocket. You can see this if you look at general figures, which estimate that for every £100 received from an insurance pay-out, the loss to your business will be up to around £3600.
The costs of poor construction site safety can be high, both financially and when it comes to the health of your employees. It can even impact the image and success of your company for years to come. If you want help with a variety of health and safety considerations, Arion is here to help. We offer health and safety consultancy and the high-level accident investigation that UK-based companies need to improve procedures. Check us out today to see how we can support you.
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