Invest in work safety
The QuickScan Work Safety calculates the rate of return on your company's investments in work safety measures. The cost of work accidents can be lowered by increasing safety in your company. If, for example, one of your company's workers is (temporarily) disabled due to an accident on the work floor, the production of this worker will (temporarily) be lost to your company. If you decide to (temporarily) replace this disabled worker, for example by hiring a flexible worker, the cost resulting from the accident will even more increase for your company.
This QuickScan relates your company's investments in work safety to the targeted decrease of injuries that may result from these investments. The rate of return, the payback period and the potential cost saving are calculated on the basis of average figures for your company's business sector. Also, you can plug in data and information that are specific to your company, for example labour productivity or the accident risk rate.
The Work Safety Programme of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (SZW) aims at the reduction of the number of work accidents in selected business sectors by 10 to 15 percent. The programme aims at changing behaviour in companies rather than at the implementation of technical solutions in order to increase work safety. In the programme, both the company and its workers are held responsible for changing behaviour to improve work safety. The Ministry encourages and supports companies by developing alternative solutions to legal regulations.
The Work Safety Programme aims at changes on the work floor. The programme will be developed in two directions:
- work safety measures, with a focus on the implementation of best practices for the development of safety habits and safety awareness in the company;
- risk management systems, designed to identify accident risks in the company and to provide support on how to deal with these risks in the most effective and efficient way.
A communication program has been set up in order to make people continuously aware of work safety and work habits related to safety. This program focuses on changes in the company's culture and workers' mentality regarding safety issues. In addition, the communication program pays attention to the results that already have been obtained in the Work Safety Programme. Not only the participating companies, but also other companies in other business sectors, as well as safety professionals and employers' en workers' associations are informed about the Programme by means of newsletters and brochures. The Ministry's website about increasing work safety plays an important role in the communication program.
The Work Safety Programme is based on a unique form of co-operation with individual companies and business sectors. Other EU countries, experienced European scientists and the European Commission are involved in the development of risk management systems. Finally, employers' and workers' organizations are represented in a steering committee, which has an advisory role during the execution of the Programme.