Although personal protective equipment (PPE) might sound like something to protect workers, it actually helps protect workers as well as businesses. Of course, it protects workers from physical bodily harm, but it also protects businesses in a variety of business and legal ways. In fact, PPE is so important in today’s modern, connected world, not having the right PPE policies built into your business plan can mean the difference between thriving and going out of business altogether.
1. Better health
One of the primary benefits of personal protective equipment is that it helps workers enjoy better health. Safety goggles keep workers’ eyes healthy, and respirators and air filters help protect lungs. Gloves prevent dangerous chemicals from harming people, and whole-body suits provide an enclosed environment against site-wide hazards.
2. Longer life
Of course, better health contributes to one thing: longer life. As people spend one third of their waking hours working, it is vital that PPE policies are in place to help people enjoy their time away from the job. Additionally, it is important that as people retire, they are able to look forward to a substantial degree of life quality. In fact, statistics show just that–PPE contributes significantly to longer life, helping the nation at all levels of society.
3. Better performance
Simply put, protected workers perform their jobs better. Less stress regarding the potential for injuries helps people do their best work.
4. Compliance
All the statistics in the world are never enough to convince organizations driven by profit to incorporate PPE. Because of this, such organizations as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have put into place minimal safety standards designed to keep workers safe. Meeting these requirements helps keep workers safe, and it helps business owners avoid fines due to non-compliance.
5. Less turnover
In the early industrial era, people might not have had much of a choice about where to work and when. However, in today’s modern era, choice creates turnover. More to the point, unsafe workplaces contribute to turnover. PPE, however, can help boost morale by improving people’s sense of security and safety. In fact, research finds that PPE can help reduce turnover by up to 19 percent. As training a new employee costs much more than keeping an old one, PPE helps increase profits by reducing training costs.
6. Liability
In addition to PPE reducing liability of business owners, PPE also reduces the liability of individual workers. For instance, many businesses make available protective equipment, such as goggles or hearing protectors. However, in some instances, workers fail to avail themselves of the opportunity to remain safe and healthy. This failure to adhere to safety policies makes individual workers liable for any resulting accidents or incidents.
7. Greater global recognition
Awards are given to a variety of businesses for adhering to a variety of performance standards. For instance, many businesses are noted each year for their ethics. Businesses that operate according to human ethics are recognized for their efforts while unethical companies are not. Similarly, many companies as well as industries are rated according to how safe they are, and poorly rated companies must get into compliance or risk ongoing online reporting that can damage their reputations and ability to hire top talent.
8. Less sick time
PPE contributes to workers taking fewer sick days. This is important as less sick time means a greater ability to compete against other companies, helping to increase a company’s global market share.
9. Higher profits
Of course, fewer sick days also means higher profits. The main reason fewer sick days translates into higher profits is because sick days are generally paid for at a full-pay rate.
If a worker is not producing yet is still being paid, profits decline. Because PPE is typically cheaper to purchase and maintain, the cost to purchasing it and having it on hand far outweighs the costs paid out to non-present workers. Especially because PPE can be purchased online at reputable dealers, such as Quill Safety, it is often difficult to understand when companies do not have a PPE policy in place.
10. Job enjoyment
It is probably fair to assume that every company values its workers and wants them to enjoy their time on the job. Research shows that PPE helps accomplish this, increasing job satisfaction. In fact, PPE is one of the most cost-effective means of achieving job satisfaction.