Health and safety is good for business
The British Safety Council has released a series of short videos on the benefits of good health and safety filmed with experts from the European Agency on Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA).
‘The evidence is clear. It shows that investing in health and safety produces a financial return for employers and helps to improve working conditions for workers,’ said Dr Dietmar Elsler, project manager at the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA). ‘The Agency demonstrates that it has continued to successfully promote the economic benefits of investing in workplace safety and health by stressing the importance of working together.’
Joscelyne Shaw, acting policy and communications director at the British Safety Council, said, ‘The International Labour Organisation estimates that every year over 2.3 million people globally are senselessly killed due to workplace injury and work-related ill health and an estimated four per cent of global GDP is lost due to health and safety failure. And as we move out of the recession, it is important that business reflects on what is appropriate and sensible health and safety management. Good health and safety management is addressed relative to a number of factors, whether in relation to risk management, demands from clients or as part of a sustainable business ethos.
‘We know there are many businesses committed to ensuring that their staff are not injured or made ill by their work. There is a growing recognition of the value of a preventative strategy which is beneficial offers to business as well as to government and society overall more widely. As a corporate membership body, we remain committed to capturing and sharing this insight and enabling others to benefit from the learning and innovation that this can create within businesses and business processes.’
