Has one of your employees suffered an injury while on the job?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 2.9 million non-fatal workplace injuries and illnesses reported by private industry employers in 2015. This was 48,000 fewer reported injuries than one year earlier.
A non-fatal accident at work can impact the life of your employee. It can also have a lasting impact on your business.
Read on to learn more about his these accidents hurt more than just the employee.
Decreased Manpower
When you lose an employee to a work-related accident, you are forced to run your company without them until they fully recover.
If you are a small business, losing even one employee for any extended period can be a tremendous hurdle for you to overcome. This can also result in overworking other employees. This may lead to an exhausted workforce, paying overtime costs, and other negative consequences.
You may even have to seek out finding a temporary staff member to work for your company until the injured worker returns.
Reduce Staff Morale
Even if an accident at work is non-fatal, it can reduce the morale of other members of your staff.
Depending on your industry and the specific situation, your employee may have had a serious injury. This can distract other co-workers from focusing on their daily work tasks. It can also keep them from operating at 100%.
This can result in a decrease in productivity and in turn, fewer revenues and profits for your company.
Potential For OSHA Investigation
The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) is a government agency that sets and enforces standards for safety in the workplace.
When there is an injury on the job at your company, it can result in an OSHA investigation. If this takes place, your business will be subjected to increased scrutiny.
You must also be ready to hand over a lot of internal information. This documents how you operate and what precautions you take to prevent injury in the workplace.
Higher Workers' Compensation Costs
Workers' compensation costs can increase as a result of an injury to one of your employees.
This is because workers' compensation is a form of insurance your business has to help cover an employee's benefits and medical bills in the event of an injury. When you have a worker who is hurt on the job, your workers' compensation will be used.
This may result in higher costs to ensure your employees through this system.
The Cost of an Accident at Work
When your employee is hurt at work, it can have a widespread impact on the rest of your business. You need to be prepared for how to face these challenges.
At Work-Fit, we are the nationwide leader in applying sports medicine techniques in the workplace to prevent injuries and lower your bottom line. We have been in business more than 25 years and served over 500,000 employees during that time.
Contact us today to learn how we can help your employees and about how we make health personal!