Why worry about safety? Simply because workplace accidents can destroy your business.

Thousands of Americans are killed each year in on-the-job accidents, and many more suffer work-related disabilities or contract occupational illnesses. Besides the incalculable cost of pain and grief, there are high monetary costs attached to workplace accidents. These costs can include the inability to meet your obligations to customers, wages paid to sick and disabled workers, wages paid to substitute employees, damaged equipment repair costs, insurance claims, workers' compensation, and administrative and recordkeeping costs.

In addition, the monetary penalties for failing to comply with federally mandated safety requirements alone could destroy your business. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's minimum penalty for willful violations of safety rules that could result in death or serious physical harm is $5,000, with a maximum of $70,000. (OSHA is the federal agency that enforces federal safety requirements.)

Both humanitarian desires and economic good sense have encouraged employers to create and maintain safer and healthier working conditions. Where employers have not gone far enough, employees, unions, and government agencies have applied pressure for greater efforts.

Information you can find ahead includes:

• Government regulation of workplace safety, which discusses federal OSHA regulations, and what you need to do to avoid running afoul of the rules.
• Developing and implementing a safety program, which examines how you can develop and document a safety program and train your employees to avoid workplace accidents.
• Major workplace safety issues, which discusses how the changing workplace poses new types of risks, including workplace automation hazard, AIDS and biohazards.