The ROI of Safety: Building a Safety Culture in the Workplace
By Andrew Solis and Jake Devine | October 9, 2025
When it comes to safety, it’s not a question of “if” an investment will pay off — but when.
Developing a culture that values safety helps prevent incidents before they happen and creates a more productive, profitable and sustainable workplace.
Safety ROI: The Benefits of Workplace Safety
Safety adds up. Every $1 invested in an effective workplace safety program returns $4 to $6 in savings. Lost productivity, training and compensating replacement workers, repairing damaged property, poor customer and community relations, and other indirect costs of accidents in the workplace can be up to 10 times the direct costs.
Investing in a safety culture can save lives, save money and help preserve your company’s reputation.
Improved Bottom Line
Building a safety culture can be expensive, but it pays off by:
- Reducing insurance premiums
- Limiting workers’ compensation claims, lawsuits and legal fees
- Avoiding hefty fines and penalties
At Actalent, we work with a lot of organizations that engage in complex, dynamic and often high-risk projects — in industries like construction, engineering, mining, manufacturing and utilities. These kinds of companies see exponentially significant savings and mitigated risks by investing in safety.
How much can you save by preventing workplace incidents? OSHA’s Safety Pays Program includes tools to help you estimate the value of safety in the workplace.
Better Workplace Productivity
Having an effective safety culture helps minimize disruptions caused by accidents, reduces downtime and decreases the time and money spent hiring and training new employees.
Increased Job Satisfaction and Employee Retention
Our clients have found that a positive safety culture helps attract and retain top talent, resulting in a more stable workforce. Employees feel valued, absenteeism rates decrease and employees are less likely to actively seek opportunities elsewhere.
Amplified Industry Reputation and Brand Loyalty
A commitment to employee safety enhances a company’s reputation among stakeholders, regulatory bodies and customers. A strong safety record can differentiate an organization in competitive bid processes and boost its standing in the community and in the marketplace.
How to Build a Safety Culture in the Workplace
Establishing a culture that values and prioritizes safety doesn’t happen overnight. Consistency, open communication and a shared commitment throughout your organization are key to creating a safety program that meets your organization’s specific goals and challenges.
Go Beyond the Handbook
Safety must be a practice — not a policy — that is actively reinforced through recognition and accountability. When project managers and health and safety leaders model safety-first behaviors, their teams take notice.
Train and Empower From Day One
Developing an effective safety culture takes time. New hires must be introduced to your organization’s safety policies and practices from the start:
- Set clear milestones for employees to check in, raise questions and build confidence in speaking up
- Replace outdated stand-and-deliver style training seminars with job-specific learning tools and technology
- Implement programs for short-service workers that include phased field exposure and assigned mentors
- Develop and commit to a communication plan that provides routine updates on key internal safety performance indicators, shares success stories and promotes opportunities to improve
Create Feedback Loops and Celebrate Wins
In a safe work environment, everyone feels encouraged and empowered. Actalent clients have found success with these tactics:
- Offer digital feedback tools, peer safety committees, town halls and other platforms for employees at any level to share success stories or concerns
- Celebrate when employees identify and mitigate risks — even small ones (this is especially important in high-turnover or short-term, contract environments)
- Recognize and reward safe behaviors to help build momentum and morale (don’t just penalize unsafe behaviors)
- Celebrate safety milestones as team-wide achievements that connect individual effort to the organization’s success
How to Measure Safety in the Workplace
Safety experts have an array of measures and metrics they can use to get a snapshot of their organization’s progress in workplace safety:
- Leading indicators: Training completion rates, safety audits and other proactive measures aim to avoid accidents before they happen.
- Lagging indicators: Factors like incident rates and injury statistics focus on the aftermath of an incident.
- Qualitative assessments: Surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations and other means to gather employees’ feedback and perceptions can help you better understand the root causes of workplace safety issues.
- Quantitative metrics:
- Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR): the number of recordable workplace incidents per 100 full-time employees over a given period, usually a year. A lower score suggests a safer work environment.
- Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR): the number of injuries resulting in lost work time per million hours worked.
- Near-Miss Reporting Rate: the number of near-miss events reported over a specific period. A high rating reflects a proactive safety culture.
Determining the appropriate metrics and employing the best assessment tools can help identify what’s working and what’s not. Consistently sharing the results and celebrating the good while taking action to improve helps keep workers engaged and demonstrates an organization’s commitment to its employees’ well-being.
Culture Creates Compliance
Employees are more productive and engaged when they feel safe and valued. Managers must demonstrate their commitment to a strong safety culture by supporting the organization’s policies and procedures while also taking the time to listen to and learn from employees’ ideas or concerns.
Organizations that treat safety as a priority instead of an afterthought position themselves for long-term success and savings.
Leverage Actalent Talent Resources to Realize Safety ROI in Your Workplace
If you’re launching a new safety initiative, reinforcing existing practices or evaluating areas for improvement, Actalent can help you find right-fit health and safety professionals with the technical expertise and cultural acumen to support your goals. We embed experienced consultants within your teams to help ensure safety best practices are followed, feedback loops are activated and field insights translate into meaningful improvements.
Contact us today to explore how investing in a strong safety culture can benefit your workforce and your business.
Frequently Asked Questions
About Safety ROI
Investing in a safety culture can bring long-term ROI in cost savings, workforce stability and a competitive edge. It can also minimize disruptions caused by accidents and improve employee morale.
A positive safety culture helps attract and retain top talent. Additionally, it can enhance a company’s overall brand image and reputation.
Relevant Insights
-
Article
Why the Culture of Safety in the Workplace Matters NowDiscover why building a culture of safety is critical to workplace safety, retention and performance, especially in the construction and engineering space.
Read More -
Q&A
The Importance of Quality ManagementIn this Q&A, Actalent experts discuss the importance of quality management and how maintaining consistent standards drives performance and enhances client satisfaction.
Read More -
Q&A
Forever... For Now, Part III: How A Potential Ban on PFAS Could Impact Food and the Food Packaging IndustryThis Q&A addresses the history of PFAS in the food packaging and what a European ban on those chemicals would look like for that industry and its customers.
Read More