Off-the-Clock Safety

On-the-job injuries get plenty of attention, but what about the ones that occur beyond work hours?

The latter are more common, after all, and they’re just as likely to hurt not just the individual involved, but your business, as well.

Let’s say one of your top employees is involved in a car accident (by far the most common unintentional injury, according to the National Safety Council) and ends up in the hospital.

Whether the worker is injured on his own time or on yours, there can be equally severe repercussions.

First and foremost, you want him to heal quickly and completely for his own sake and that of his family.

But then there’s also the business side of things. The longer he’s out of work, the longer your company must operate without one of its best people. (Or hire someone to replace him.)

His workload can potentially be spread among his co-workers, but what if they’re already overloaded? Then you’re just piling more stress on them and risking employee burnout, decreased performance, and a sharp decline in morale.

You also have to consider the costs to your company.

These mostly take the form of health care expenses and the recruiting and training of temporary or full-time replacements for the injured worker, an alternative to asking your other workers to shoulder the burden.

According to the National Safety Council, off-the-job injuries and fatalities cost businesses an estimated $200 million each year in productivity.

You’re probably well-versed in preventing common accidents such as slips, trips, and falls at the office. Perhaps now is the time to give your employees a primer on safety awareness they can take home with them.