Workplace safety: a non-negotiable value
Workplace safety is one of the fundamental pillars of any organization's success. It goes beyond complying with regulations or preventing risks; it is about ensuring that people are protected, both physically and emotionally, creating an environment in which they can feel safe and focused on their activities.
Companies committed to safety do not limit themselves to meeting legal requirements; they cultivate a culture in which people's well-being is directly linked to the company's productivity, innovation and success. Safety, therefore, is not merely an obligation, but an essential strategy for unlocking true organizational potential.
According to Maslow's theory, a classic in management, safety occupies a central place in the pyramid of human needs, right after basic physiological needs. Before aspiring to higher levels, such as self-esteem or self-actualization, individuals need to feel protected against physical and emotional threats.
Today, the concept of workplace safety is not limited to physical protection alone, but also includes psychological safety. This is closely related to other dimensions of “Maslow's pyramid,” such as the sense of belonging and recognition. In sectors such as services and technology, for example, where physical risk is minimized, new risks emerge, such as emotional pressure, overload of responsibilities and lack of support, which can profoundly affect people's mental balance.
In organizational contexts, this means that, without a safe foundation, people may face distractions, stress or burnout, directly compromising effective collaboration, creativity and overall performance. When this fundamental need is neglected, turnover increases and innovation stagnates, directly affecting results.
In the 21st century, tragedies such as the accident at the explosives factory in Quatro Barras, near Curitiba, which resulted in the deaths of nine people on August 12, 2025, reinforce the urgency of prioritizing safety. In Brazil, this reality is particularly alarming: in 2024, 724,228 workplace accidents were recorded, of which 74.3% occurred in the workplace and 24.6% while commuting, resulting in around 2,400 deaths. In the first half of 2025, our country had already recorded 1,689 deaths from occupational accidents, highlighting a worrying trend amid persistent underreporting.
These events are not isolated: according to the International Labour Organization (ILO), around 3 million workers die every year from work-related causes worldwide, an increase of more than 5% since 2015, in addition to 395 million non-fatal injuries. Such statistics, both national and international, emphasize the need to integrate safety not merely as a regulatory issue, but as a central responsibility of companies.
This approach can be illustrated by the history of DuPont, an American company that experienced something similar to what happened in Quatro Barras when it faced a devastating disaster at one of its explosives factories in the early 20th century. In 1912, an explosion at the Niagara plant in New Jersey resulted in the deaths of 8 people and was a turning point for the company, which then realized the urgency of overhauling its safety policies and practices.
Paul O'Neill, upon taking over the leadership of Alcoa in 1987, offered another striking example. In his first speech, he prioritized workplace safety, declaring it the main focus instead of short-term financial targets. For O'Neill, success would only come when all employees felt respected, safe and valued, both physically and emotionally.
This strategy transformed Alcoa. The lost-workday incident rate fell from 1.86 to less than 0.2 per 100 employees, with some plants going years without accidents. As a result, the company not only became one of the safest in the world, but also saw its market value jump from US$ 3 billion to around US$ 27 billion over 13 years under Paul O'Neill's management, illustrating the direct connection between safety and sustainable growth.
Workplace safety practice should be seen not only as an ethical or legal responsibility, but as a strategic pillar of management. It is essential to integrate it into all processes, making it a shared commitment at every hierarchical level, as O'Neill did at Alcoa, where safety ceased to be an isolated function and became a collective priority, vitally connected to the organization's strategy.
Companies that adopt this vision not only fulfill obligations, but generate concrete results: reduced accident costs, greater engagement and solid foundations for innovation and productivity gains. Safety is a non-negotiable dimension and one of the main drivers of corporate success. In the Brazilian context, where the data reveal a silent epidemic of accidents, investing in and developing capabilities in this area is not optional, but imperative for a safer future for all of us.
