By Bryan Roessler, Executive Director

Uncertainty seems to dominate the news today: market volatility, Europe’s debt crisis, Super Committee deadline, taxes, unemployment, housing market, 2012 presidential elections, and the list goes on. There are so many other distracting headlines that keep us from investing in our organizations. Given all this uncertainty, where do we invest for tomorrow? How about an investment that could yield your organization over $3 for every $1 invested?

According to recent studies, this great ROI results from investment in your organization’s safety and health program. Most executives reported saving at least three dollars for every dollar their company spent on workplace safety according to a Liberty Mutual survey. That’s a return that organizations can’t afford to overlook.

Let me illustrate with some powerful data provided by OSHA.gov why investing in workplace safety and health can improve your organization’s financial performance, and provide you with a competitive advantage.

• The most disabling work-related injuries cost this country $53 billion in direct workers’ compensation costs in 2008, averaging more than $1 billion per week.
  Source: 2010 Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index, Liberty Mutual Insurance Company (2010).
• "When senior management decision-makers learn that disabling work-related injuries cost this country nearly $50 billion in direct costs—or about $1 billion a week—it gets their attention," states Karl Jacobsen, Senior Vice President of Liberty Mutual Group.
  Source: 2007 Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index, Liberty Mutual Insurance Company (2008).
• Companies that did not adequately manage workplace safety and health performed worse financially than those who did from November 2004 to October 2007. Investors could have increased their returns during this period had they accounted for workplace safety and health performance in their investment strategy.
  Source: Goldman Sachs JBWere Finds Valuation Links in Workplace Safety and Health Data, Goldman Sachs JBWere Group (October 2007).
• Businesses spend $170 billion a year on costs associated with occupational injuries and illnesses—expenditures that come straight out of company profits. However, workplaces that establish safety and health management systems can reduce their injury and illness costs by 20 to 40 percent. In today's business environment, these costs can be the difference between operating in the black and running in the red.
  Source: Safety and Health Add Value. OSHA Publication 3180.
• Injuries and illnesses increase workers' compensation and retraining costs, absenteeism, and faulty product. They also decrease productivity, morale, and profits. Businesses operate more efficiently when they implement effective safety and health management systems. For example, a plant with 50 employees decreased production of faulty product and saved more than $265,000 with a strong safety and health program.
  Source: Safety and Health Add Value. OSHA Publication 3180.
• There is a direct positive correlation between investment in safety, health, and environmental performance and its subsequent return on investment.
  Source: White Paper on Return on Safety Investment, American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), (June 2002).
• Over 60 percent of chief financial officers in one survey reported that each $1 invested in injury prevention returns $2 or more. Over 40 percent of chief financial officers cited productivity as the top benefit of an effective workplace safety program.
  Source: Chief Financial Officer Survey, Liberty Mutual Insurance Company (2005).

Study after study demonstrates that safety and health programs provide an excellent return on your investment. This is one area of business that is not plagued with uncertainty. The safety team at MRA is happy to help you make a high yielding investment in your organization. Tap into our tools, training, and resources to build a strong safety and health program for your organization and watch your investment thrive.