Making and keeping a workplace safe costs too much–it’s a common misconception that Roberta Dugas, chair of WorkSafeNB’s board of directors, will refute in her speech The Dollars and Sense Behind Creating a Workplace Safety Culture.
“While initially there are financial costs in providing the proper safety tools, equipment and training, these costs are minimal compared to what the cost would be if you didn’t provide them,” Dugas said. “Workplace injuries cost a lot and it’s a price that all New Brunswickers pay.”
“It is workers and their families who pay the greatest price for workplace injuries; they pay with their limbs, their livelihoods, their lives,” Dugas said. But workplace injuries also cost employers, both directly, and indirectly. “The cost of losing an employee can range from 50% to 150% of that worker’s annual salary, with indirect costs as much as 10 times that of the direct costs,” she said.
“Ensuring healthy and safe workplaces is not only a legal and ethical responsibility, it makes good business sense. Safety saves lives, it saves money, it saves time.”
Dugas will bring this message to various groups across the province this fall. To arrange an interview, or to invite her to speak to your group, contact Laragh Dooley at 506 632-2804, or by email at laragh.dooley@ws-ts.nb.ca.