Employers

Liabilities of an Unsafe Workplace

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 5,250 workers were killed on the job in the United States of America in 2018; this is equivalent to an average of 101 per week or 14 each day. The 2018 rate of nonfatal occupational injury and illness cases requiring days away from work to recuperate was 10 cases per 1,000 full-time workers in the United States of America.

In these scenarios, the financial costs to employers would include workers' compensation payments, loss of productivity, costs associated with hiring, and other indirect costs associated with fatalities, injuries, and illnesses.

OSH Professionals Increase Productivity and the Bottom Line

UConn's Occupational and Safety and Health (OSH) Post-Baccalaureate Certificate is an ideal way for organizational leaders to develop their employees as OSH professionals, which will enhance workplace safety, and the organization's bottom line. In fact, workplace fatalities and occupational injury/illness rates have been reduced by more than 65 and 67 percent respectively in the past four decades. OSHA credits that decline to the efforts of health and safety professionals and employers in creating safer workplaces.

The Role of OSH Professionals

OSH professionals protect employees, property, the environment, and the general public by anticipating, identifying, evaluating, controlling, and communicating workplace safety and health hazards. Working with employees and employers, they help to eliminate fatalities and minimize the frequency and severity of workplace injuries and illnesses by assisting in the creation and maintenance of safe and healthy work environments. They not only keep workers, visitors, and the public safe; they create greater work efficiencies because safe and healthy workers are more productive workers.

The work of OSH professionals also contributes to increased work efficiency and business sustainability. Minimizing workplace injuries and illnesses keeps valuable human resources on-the-job and avoids negative impacts associated with workers' compensation costs, overtime, additional hiring, and increased physical and mental demands on the workforce.

How UConn Can Help

UConn's OSH Post-Baccalaureate Certificate is an ideal program for savvy employers because it allows your employees to learn or upgrade their OSH skills in an online format that can be accessed 24/7 without traveling to campus or leaving the workplace.