National Safety Council Expands Tools to Help Employers Make the Business Case for Life-Saving Technology

Work to Zero calculators help employers quantify the costs, savings and potential return on investments to prevent serious incidents and fatalities

WASHINGTON, Nov. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As employers look to technology to prevent serious workplace incidents and fatalities, one question can stand in the way of adoption: How do you demonstrate the value of the investment? The National Safety Council is helping employers answer that question with an expanded suite of free Employer Investment Calculators that allow businesses to estimate the financial impact and return on investment of safety technologies using their own operational data.

Developed through the NSC Work to Zero program in partnership with McElhattan Foundation, the enhanced calculator suite has expanded from eight to 13 technologies, including EHS software, heat stress monitoring and ergonomics video analytics. Approximately 8,500 users annually already use the calculators to evaluate potential safety investments.

The need for better investment decisions is particularly urgent when it comes to preventing the most serious workplace incidents. Although the Occupational Safety and Health Administration 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.

"Too often, employers know a safety technology could save lives but struggle to demonstrate its business value," said Dr. 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 return on investment. The expanded suite of calculators reflects the growing range of solutions employers are adopting to reduce workplace risks.

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 serious injuries and fatalities.

Together, the report and calculators 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.

Work to Zero is part of the Council's ongoing effort to eliminate workplace fatalities through the advancement and adoption of technology-based safety solutions. To access the calculators, report and additional resources to create safer workplaces, visit nsc.org/worktozero. To register for the Building the Business Case for Safety Technology webinar, visit here.

About the National Safety Council
The National Safety Council is America's leading nonprofit safety advocate – and has been for over 110 years. As a mission-based organization, we work to eliminate the leading causes of preventable death and injury, focusing our efforts on the workplace and roadways. We create a culture of safety to not only keep people safer at work, but also beyond the workplace so they can live their fullest lives.

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©2026 National Safety Council

SOURCE National Safety Council