Having a strong brand is crucial in the route to business success. But, one mistake can ruin everything you have worked for in years. A good example is a workplace accident that can be a massive blow to your talent and your business altogether. So, how good is the level of safety in your workplace? This article will tell you how accidents at the workplace put your business at risk. In the end, you will know how to protect your brand in such a scenario.
Damaging Reputation
A good reputation is so important in business these days, particularly in the age of social media. A single mistake can be amplified to damage everything you have built over time. A good reputation speaks volumes about the work and the people in your business. It’s important in attracting lucrative opportunities, attracting top talent and customers. In fact, a damaged reputation is quite challenging to fix. It will take a lot of time and cost to rebuild. There is even no guarantee that the efforts will be fruitful!
Financial Losses
When accidents happen at the workplace, the public will often not care to know who was at fault. In some cases, the news and media content about the risks in your workplace will spread around. You will lose customers and business relationships. You will also lose cash in compensating the victims of the accident. If you were at fault, then you might even end up paying millions of dollars for damages. It can bring your business to its knees or you might even lose the business.
Decline in productivity
Workplace accidents can lead to a decrease in productivity in several ways. For starters, when one staff member is injured, others will have that fear as well. They will start looking over their shoulders, and the panic mode might be there for long. It is even worse if the accident was fatal because some top talented employees can decide to quit.
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If a lawsuit is filed against you, you may end up spending a lot of time in courtrooms, which is both emotionally, physically and financially draining. If the victim was severely injured, he or she will need some time off to recover or they might not be able to work again. It will be quite a blow if other employees are unable to fill the position adequately. You will have to look outside which can be another challenge in attracting top talents to fill the role.
Legal implications
There are many laws put in place to protect workers, depending on where your business operates. In the case of workplace accidents, employees are entitled to compensation as per the law. They can file a lawsuit for compensation against you citing negligence on your part. You can spend years in legal tussles with legal teams, a feat that translates to losses.
What to do After a Workplace Accident
It’s always important to have a proper emergency response mechanism to help injured employees. It may not be your fault, but it becomes your business when accidents happen when they are in the line of duty. Proceed to investigate the cause of the accident. Some causes are apparent, and this is something you ought to have had control over. Other hazards may be hidden but it might be within your control as well. You must seek professional help when assessing the risks as it will also reveal other underlying risks and the extensive impact of the hazards. Also, with the risk assessment report, you will have a glimpse of what you can do in the future to prevent accidents. Some preventive measures may be as simple as installing a new fire extinguisher and educating the staff, or as expensive as replacing manual systems with automatic ones. Nonetheless, preventive measures are important to ensure this doesn’t happen again!
The next and most crucial step is to handle to incident. After the risk assessment, you need to look for an attorney who is offering the best legal representation money can buy to help protect your business. An experienced accident injury attorney will help you to prevent further damage to your brand. The attorney will build a proper defense in case of a lawsuit. They will help you settle the case in a way that protects your business.
Tip: Always ensure you have the right safety measures in your workplace. You may not see the results immediately, but you will be increasing employee safety, improve your workplace productivity, and avoid financial losses.
Final thoughts
Workplace accidents can happen anywhere, and there is so much that can be lost. Now that you know about the disastrous effects of workplace hazards, it is time to take action to protect your brand!
