I have been reading and having discussions on whether it is worth it to save money on safety.  Excuse me?  Why are they mutually exclusive?  If you execute a smart and well orchestrated safety program it actually reduces your cost, it does not add to it.

The easy items are the insurance rates you experience and your ability to win projects based on your safety program and performance, but there is so much more to it.  Safety is a tool that is utilized in our industry to perform the basic function.  Like a computer server is to the banking industry it is essential to operating the business, but does not actually perform the core function our client is paying for.  And just like the server, it is essential to increase the productivity, customer satisfaction, and profitability for the company.

If any firm is having the discussion: "Do we have the money for safety?", their mind is already in the wrong the place.  I would consider a conversation like that to be similar to "Do we have the money for power tools, or so we save all the money and have people do drilling with hand tools?"  Safety is a tool, just like the power drill.  You cannot perform your job without it and it is essential to your productivity and profitability.

Don't get caught in the trap of that safety comes at a cost of productivity, it does not!  While implementing a safety culture in your company ensure that safety and productivity are compliments of one another and you will be the best contractor in your area.