Off the Job Safety: What is it?

Off the job safety is essentially an extension of on-the-job safety rules. Designed to keep employees in West Virginia safe and healthy even when they are not at work, off the job safety ensures that they can keep coming back to work and keep contributing to the company! Off the job safety also helps businesses to save money, because employees who are safe and healthy outside of work tend to use their employer-provided health insurance less, resulting in savings for the employer.

More and more businesses, both large and small, are now promoting off the job safety, recognizing it as a smart way to control their health care costs, as well as lengthen and even safe the lives of their employees and those employees' families.

What brought on this concern with off the job safety? Certainly this trend has something to do with the fact that workers in the U.S. are actually safer while on the job than they are at their homes or in their communities. Also, according to the 2011 list of National Safety Council Injury Facts, nine out of 10 deaths occur off the job, and three quarters of all injuries requiring medical attention occur off the job.

To promote off the job safety, business create educational programs that inform employees about how to stay safe and healthy when they are away from work. Here are some ways that your business can educate its employees about off the job safety, as well as encourage it:

• Hold monthly workshops on such topics as safe driving, safe recreation, safe sporting activities, safe travel, and home safety.
• Offer free CPR classes.
• Invite a nurse or other health care professional to give a talk on prescription and over-the-counter drug safety.
• Provide handouts and literature to your employees on the topic of safety in a variety of off the job settings.
• Offer financial incentives; give bonuses to employees who attend workshops and talks on off the job safety.

As a business owner in West Virginia, chances are you spend a substantial amount on health insurance costs for your employees. Promoting off the job safety can not only benefit your employees and enhance their quality of life, but also help you to save money and run a more profitable enterprise.