Posted By Merv Newman Allan, I'm sure I can get you some of the information, particularly safety training per head, but. What are you including as "costs of safety management" ? I could include : Salaries/costs of having a safety management staff Costs of management time (monthly safety meeting, audits etc) Costs of supervisory time (safety meetings, training, audits, inquiries) You know as well as I do that I could go on forever. Where are you drawing the line ? A per pro : there was an interesting bit of research by the Institute National de Recherche Scientifique at least 15 years ago : How much do accidents cost a company ? The answer seemed to be :"about the same". i.e. a company that takes safety seriously will put a lot into finding the causes of an accident and in eliminating or managing those causes. Such a company will have very few accidents, but managing accidents and safety will cost more per accident. A company which does not give a damn will not do any serious inquiry and will not invest in making the workplace safer. Such a company will have a lot more accidents but "safety management" costs per accident will be quite low. It seemed to balance out. So, and here is the provocative question : whatever you do, it costs the same. Why bother ? That research seems to undercut the "financial argument" for safety management. Discuss

Posted By Allan St.John Holt Thanks to those who responded to this - can I ask that you return your questionnaires by close of business today? The results have to be in by tomorrow. If you are unable to respond in time or at all, please let me know by direct email. Allan