Every employer is legally required to take adequate measures to ensure the health and safety of their workforce. If your business operations expose workers to hazards that can result in occupational injuries and illnesses, you may need to give them PPE as a last resort.
Short for personal protective equipment, PPE describes any equipment worn to protect workers against hazards at work. These hazards may be physical, mechanical, biological, electrical, chemical, radiological or ergonomic.
The benefits of providing appropriate PPE for workers go beyond fulfilling your legal health and safety responsibilities in the employment relationship. Keep reading to discover those benefits.
Improves workplace productivity
Since providing your employees with the right PPE for work significantly reduces the risk of injuries and illnesses due to workplace hazards, it helps keep your workforce healthy. Healthy employees will not miss work to receive treatment or recuperate from injuries and illnesses. As a result, they will do their job fast and diligently, increasing your company's bottom line.
In addition, if staff feel safe, they can complete tasks with greater confidence and speed since they won’t have to worry about incurring an injury.
Increases staff retention
Although most people don’t make a habit of switching jobs, job mobility has risen over the last decade. As more people change jobs to negotiate for better pay and other employment perks, it pays to hold on to your best employees. After all, your employees are your most valuable business asset. If you lose them to your competitors, this may reflect negatively on your business's bottom line.
One of the best ways to keep your top talents is to create a safe and healthy work environment. Providing a safe and healthy workplace shows your employees that you genuinely care about them, which will boost their morale and increase their happiness. Happy employees will be loyal to your business and are less likely to quit their job.
Attracts top talent
If your staff retention rate is high, you'll be a magnet for the top talent you need but don't have, and understandably so because everyone wants to work for a company that takes good care of its workers.
Supplying the proper PPE to your workers puts your company in a good light in the labour market, as it shows prospective employees that you will prioritize their health and safety if they join your workforce.
Reduces business liability
Employers that fail to take reasonable measures to protect their employees against workplace hazards may be held liable for injuries and illnesses suffered due to their employment.
If your employees get injured on the job because you did not provide them with the appropriate PPE, they can sue your company. Employee lawsuits can harm your company's reputation and potentially result in large payouts that hurt its overall profitability.
Increases business growth prospects
The general public and business community sculpt perceptions of your business based on how you treat employees.
If you don't provide the appropriate PPE for workers, your business may suffer reputation damage, especially if the affected employees make the whole matter public. Consequently, you may lose business and strategic business partnerships that could have significantly improved your sales and profitability.
Giving your employees the correct PPE ensures legal health and safety compliance and helps you build a reputation that sets your business up for success and growth.
When shopping for PPE for your workers, it helps to know which types of products you need. Contact us at Ace Workwear if you're ready to outfit your workforce with the personal protective equipment they need to work safely and remain productive. We stock a wide selection of safety products so you can get what you need under one roof.