Safety Calculator Suite Expands to 13 Technologies

The National Safety Council added five technologies to its investment calculators, which help employers weigh the cost of safety tools against potential savings from reduced injuries and deaths.

Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Remote Work

Safety Calculator Suite Expands to 13 Technologies

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Should employers be required to invest in safety technology that could prevent worker deaths?

The National Safety Council expanded its investment calculator suite from eight to 13 safety technologies, covering EHS software, heat stress monitoring, and ergonomics video analytics. The expansion was developed through the NSC Work to Zero program in partnership with McElhattan Foundation.

Why it matters

Employers often know a safety technology could save lives but struggle to demonstrate its business value. The calculators and accompanying report give companies a structured way to compare costs with potential savings.

Approximately 8,500 users annually use the calculators, which estimate five-year returns from safety investments. An average workplace fatality costs $1.46 million, compared with about $43,000 for a medically consulted injury, though the source does not report realized savings.

The players

National Safety Council

The National Safety Council is a nonprofit organization focused on preventing injuries and deaths in workplaces, homes, and communities across the United States.

McElhattan Foundation

The McElhattan Foundation is a philanthropic partner that collaborated with the National Safety Council on the Work to Zero calculator suite.

The details

The calculators let employers compare the cost of maintaining current risk levels against potential savings from reducing serious injuries and fatalities, testing different scenarios along the way. An accompanying report outlines a five-step framework covering organizational readiness, solution identification, ROI calculation, and leadership buy-in.

November 10, 2026: The expanded calculator suite and the report Making the Business Case for Safety Innovation were published.
2023: More than 4,500 workers died on the job.
Over the past 25 years: The OSHA recordable injury rate declined significantly, while workplace fatalities did not fall at the same pace.

Market Landscape

The expansion extends the National Safety Council's Work to Zero program, which uses investment calculators to help businesses justify safety spending. The gap the program targets is one the report describes directly: OSHA recordable injury rates have fallen sharply over 25 years while workplace fatalities have not kept pace.

Employers weighing safety technology purchases can use the calculators to estimate five-year returns and test scenarios before committing budget. Workers in organizations that adopt these tools may see changes in how workplace hazards like heat stress and ergonomic strain are monitored.

The takeaway

Safety technology can be evaluated as a business investment by comparing its cost against the expenses of injuries and fatalities. Employers can use structured calculators and a five-step framework to make that comparison before buying.