MODULE 1: MANAGEMENT COMMITMENT

Talk money... the bottom line

Why emphasize safety and health?

Simple, it keeps people safe and healthful, and it decreases the long-term costs of doing business. But make sure your company is emphasizing accident prevention more than loss control. The first strategy is proactive, while the second is reactive. You'll learn more about this later.

In safety and health, you can pay now or pay later. It's smart to pay for safety and health before an accident occurs. For every proactive dollar spent preventing workplace accidents, four to six dollars are saved in direct/indirect accident costs. That's cost effectiveness. For every reactive dollar spent on the direct costs of a worker's injury or illness, much more is spent to cover the indirect and unknown costs associated with the injury or illness.

The solution to an apparent lack of management support is to improve the quality of the recommendation by presenting it as a cost/benefit analysis which addresses the bottom line. Let's review some of the information that you should be familiar with to write an effective recommendation.