So how can you keep your jobsite safe when you know little to nothing about implementing safety procedures? Chances are you will probably need to enlist help, and ABC of Wisconsin is here to assist you in making sure that you and your workers are protected in the case of an incident/accident.

While you may believe you cannot afford such an investment, here are some important reasons why you cannot afford NOT to:

  1. Even small injuries cost big money. According to the Department of Labor, if an employee has a lost time accident on the job, the business owner can be looking at nearly $100,000 in direct and indirect costs.
  2. Insurance doesn’t cover everything. If you are counting on your insurance plan to pick up the tab, think again. Insurance carriers usually cover only a portion of the costs associated with on-the-job injuries.
  3. Worker compensation costs skyrocket after just one injury. If you think worker compensation insurance is high now, just wait – until you have an accident. Just one claim can cause a huge spike in your premium.
  4. Injuries hurt more than an individual. A good reputation is something that takes years to build, but only seconds to destroy. When people are injured at your site because you didn’t do what was necessary to keep them safe, you can bet people are going to question your judgement.

Being an owner is exciting and can be very lucrative. However, it also brings with it a responsibility to keep your workers safe. And while it may be tough to shell out money for things like safety audits and training, it is well worth the money. Studies repeatedly show that employees that feel safe at work are more productive than those who do not. This means that investing in worker safety will pay off in more ways than one!

So, how do you benefit from safety training? It is an important question – especially since most contractors do the math and figure that losing 10 to 30 hours of labor multiplied by the number of people who need the training can become an awfully big expense. But, if something were to go wrong with no training records on file, the expense would be even greater. Furthermore, federal law requires that all employees are trained on the hazards they face prior to work commencing.