How Professional Machine Guarding Delivers Maximum ROI
June 19, 2024
How Professional Machine Guarding Delivers Maximum ROI
Every business wants to protect its employees. No business leader has ever said they didn’t care if their employees got hurt on the job (and if they did, then they probably didn’t remain a leader for very long).
Unfortunately, business decisions usually have to be made based on money. You have limited funds, and you have to make purchases that will deliver proven returns. You can’t afford to spend money on something that doesn’t produce concrete long-term value for your company. That’s why many businesses put off machine guarding. They incorrectly view it as a luxury or an expense they can put off until later.
However, the truth is that machine guarding is much more than an immediate necessity that will protect your employees. It’s also a proven way to deliver lasting ROI for your business. OSHA estimates that for every $1 you spend on machine safety, you’ll gain back as much as $6 in money saved. Here’s how professionally implemented machine safety solutions can help your company now and in the future:
Avoid costly downtime, lost wages, and fines
If you don’t have proper machine guarding in place, it’s not a matter of if you’ll have a serious injury on the job. It’s when. And when it happens, it could cost you millions. In 2017 alone, workplace injuries cost U.S. employers almost $60 billion due to lost wages and productivity, medical expenses, administrative expensive, and fines.
Between expensive lawsuits and lost productivity while your equipment is shut down and the accident is investigated, you could lose ten times what full-service machine guarding would have cost to implement in the first place. And then you’ll have to implement those same machine safety solutions you put off to try to save money. Machine guarding may seem like a big cost upfront, but it will save you a lot of money in the future.
Increase efficiency and stay productive
In order to be productive, you need your machines and your people to operate at the top of their game. Proper machine guarding creates a more efficient workplace where your machines are always running and your employees can produce consistently without fear of injury. It also keeps those machines working better for longer. After all, accidents affect your machines too.
Some businesses are concerned that machine guarding will hamper productivity and slow down processes because of new and unfamiliar obstacles. However, when machine safety is installed properly for your specific needs, your processes become more reliable. While there may be a small learning curve involved as team members are trained on the new safety measures, machine guarding has the potential to increase your revenue in the long run by keeping you productive and increasing your overall efficiency.
Machine safety customized for your needs
It’s important to understand that machine guarding in itself doesn’t produce ROI. There’s something very specific that has to happen first—you need a thorough assessment and professional risk reduction consulting that addresses your specific business needs and compliance issues.
Just slapping on some quick safety measures and calling a day isn't the answer. This type of thinking will always cost you more in the long run. You need the right solutions installed the right way. Machine guarding shouldn't be viewed as a cheap or quick fix. But the things that return maximum ROI never are. That’s why it’s crucial to engage a professional machine guarding expert with proven results in your industry.
Want to learn more about how machine guarding can deliver maximum ROI for your organization? Give us a call today.