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The National Safety Council (NSC) today announced an expanded suite of free Employer Investment Calculators that allow businesses to estimate the financial impact and return on investment (ROI) of safety technologies using their own operational data.
Developed through the NSC Work to Zero program in partnership with the McElhattan Foundation, the calculator suite was expanded from eight to 13 technologies, adding:
Work to Zero is part of NSC’s ongoing effort to eliminate workplace fatalities through the advancement and adoption of technology-based safety solutions. The original eight calculators launched in 2022 include:
The need for better investment decisions is particularly urgent when it comes to preventing the most serious workplace incidents.
Although the OSHA recordable injury rate has declined significantly over the past 25 years, workplace fatalities have not fallen at the same pace. More than 4,500 workers died on the job in 2023.
Beyond the human toll, workplace injuries carry significant financial costs. The average medically-consulted injury costs an estimated $43,000 and the average workplace fatality costs $1.46 million.
As employers look to technology to prevent serious workplace incidents and fatalities (SIFs), one question can stand in the way of adoption: How do you demonstrate the value of the investment?
“Too often, employers know a safety technology could save lives but struggle to demonstrate its business value,” said Matt Law, director of Work to Zero at NSC. “These expanded investment calculators help organizations quantify the financial impact of preventing serious incidents and fatalities. By making it easier to build a strong business case, we can accelerate the adoption of technologies that protect workers and ultimately save lives.”
Employers can use the calculators to compare technology costs with potential savings, test different scenarios, and estimate a five-year ROI. The expanded suite of calculators reflects the growing range of solutions employers are adopting to reduce workplace risks.
NSC said approximately 8,500 annual users already use the calculators to evaluate potential safety investments.
The accompanying report, Making the Business Case for Safety Innovation, outlines a five-step framework for evaluating safety technology investments - from assessing organizational readiness and identifying appropriate solutions, to calculating ROI and securing leadership buy-in. It also explains how the calculators compare the costs of maintaining current risk levels against the potential savings from reducing SIFs.
Together, NSC said the report and calculators can give safety leaders a practical pathway from identifying a workplace risk to evaluating a technology solution, demonstrating its value, and building the case for adoption.
NSC’s Work to Zero program will host a webinar exploring how safety professionals can demonstrate the financial and operational value of safety technology investments, including a showcase of the five new calculators.
Registrants will learn practical strategies for calculating ROI, identifying direct and indirect benefits, aligning safety initiatives with organizational priorities, and communicating value to key stakeholders.
The National Safety Council is a mission-based organization focused on eliminating the leading causes of preventable death and injury.
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