I recently had the opportunity to head to beautiful Banff for the
Enform Petroleum Safety Conference 2015. It was an interesting
experience to be at a safety conference when oil prices are low and
their recovery seems uncertain at the moment. The show attendance was
down by about 50% according to what I heard.
So what does this 50% figure really mean?
Have 50% of companies decided to close their doors because oil prices are low? - NO.
Have 50% of companies decided that safety promotion is an excess expense during budget tightening? - PROBABLY.
Is safety and safety spending a luxury in a slow economy? I hope not, but I fear for the worst. I understand that expenses need to be cut. Companies cannot function the same when their revenues are down by 20%, 30% or even more in some cases.
One of the first things I have seen cut since the economy has slipped are what some would need "unnecessary" safety services.
I applaud the 50% of companies who are still realizing that safety has to continue when the work is slow, and I urge the other 50% to realize that a slight savings now may end up in: increased WCB claims, incidents, near-misses or even death.
Placing resources on protecting humans is absolutely necessary. There are many other areas where costs can typically be cut with little overall affect. I would be happy to provide some useful suggestions: Downgrade the quality of paper in your printer, or only print documents when absolutely necessary, take clients out for coffee instead of dinner, reduce overtime hours - or implement only having pre-approved overtime, advertise on places like kijiji or your company website instead of pricey job boards, slightly decrease CEO bonuses... the possibilities are endless.
Safety is not a novelty, it is not a superfluous expense and it is not a luxury - it is literally a life and death challenge that we face on a daily basis.
So what does this 50% figure really mean?
Have 50% of companies decided to close their doors because oil prices are low? - NO.
Have 50% of companies decided that safety promotion is an excess expense during budget tightening? - PROBABLY.
Is safety and safety spending a luxury in a slow economy? I hope not, but I fear for the worst. I understand that expenses need to be cut. Companies cannot function the same when their revenues are down by 20%, 30% or even more in some cases.
One of the first things I have seen cut since the economy has slipped are what some would need "unnecessary" safety services.
- Audiometric Screening (which is mandated, by the way)
- Custom Hearing Protection (OK, I can understand this a bit, but really, the cost of custom protection is actually cheaper than disposable plugs over the long run)
- Reasonable Cause Testing (why test someone, when they are possibly going to fail and then be another financial burden on the company)
- Pre-employment screening that is not mandated by site owners or contractors
I applaud the 50% of companies who are still realizing that safety has to continue when the work is slow, and I urge the other 50% to realize that a slight savings now may end up in: increased WCB claims, incidents, near-misses or even death.
Placing resources on protecting humans is absolutely necessary. There are many other areas where costs can typically be cut with little overall affect. I would be happy to provide some useful suggestions: Downgrade the quality of paper in your printer, or only print documents when absolutely necessary, take clients out for coffee instead of dinner, reduce overtime hours - or implement only having pre-approved overtime, advertise on places like kijiji or your company website instead of pricey job boards, slightly decrease CEO bonuses... the possibilities are endless.
Safety is not a novelty, it is not a superfluous expense and it is not a luxury - it is literally a life and death challenge that we face on a daily basis.
Do you suspect someone you know or love might be using or abusing
drugs and/or alcohol. Salotex can help. We offer a network of drug and
alcohol testing services. We can also let you know of local drug and
alcohol experts and treatment centres in your area.
Contact me via my site at http://www.salotex.ca or call 1-877-920-8378
Contact me via my site at http://www.salotex.ca or call 1-877-920-8378
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