Estudo de Caso de Segurança no Trabalho

In a publication by Havard Business School of March 30, 2020, the case of Alcoa, one of the largest companies in the world in the production of aluminum, was discussed, which has achieved a significant increase in its profitability since Paul O'Neil took office CEO, in 1987, and made work safety his priority.

We know that the health and safety of workers has become a concern for any and all companies globally, mainly due to the strictness of labor laws, but what O'Neil's management proved in the end was the correlation between a work environment secure with the growth of productivity and, consequently, of profits.

O’Neil’s goal as an Alcoa leader was to achieve zero work days lost due to illness or injury to employees, and to that end, he emphasized the importance of safety in a number of ways. The CEO believed that, while the impact of individual decisions was minimal, the collective effect they generated was profound. Thus, in addition to greater care in the manufacturing environment, such as the installation of signage and the application of noise reduction targets, it was important to encourage this same concern in each of its employees, making them understand that their safety should be always first.

Despite this, O’Neil’s management has suffered a lot of resistance from the start. The focus on health and safety was in direct confrontation with the need for sales and the fulfillment of production targets, being a matter of great concern for the company's managers, because, in the end, a business will not be viable if there is no profit. .

In fact, investing in work safety is something that most entrepreneurs are still afraid to do. This is mainly due to the high costs of individual and collective protection equipment and the thought that the changes applied to the production lines will lead to a decrease in productivity, when, in fact, these actions cause, in the long run, just the opposite effect.

Work accidents and illnesses, in addition to the immediate costs of treatment, recovery and labor charges, can generate the need to relocate employees, make new hires and even cause paralysis of vital sectors, which compromise the harmonious functioning of production. It is clear that these situations are extremely negative not only from the human point of view, for the employee who is at risk, but also from the financial point of view, since it will cause great damage to the employer.

And that is why the results of O’Neil's actions are so relevant, since they exemplify in an indisputable way that investing in work safety is not just a matter of zeal for life and respect for labor laws. Alcoa's commitment to the safety of its employees has led not only to an increase in productivity, but also to savings in costs resulting from the dramatic reduction in accidents at work, and this has reflected in record profits for the company. It is as the saying goes: it is always better to be safe than sorry.