A workplace injury can cause pain, inconvenience, wage loss, and some time off from work. The nationwide statistics by the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that there are approximately three million common workplace injuries yearly. This amounts to almost 8,000 daily, 350 injuries every hour, or six every minute.
As an employer, you will lose productivity, valuable employees, and some money from your business. Knowing how to avoid the most common workplace accidents can help keep your employees safe from adverse consequences. Some of the most critical injuries are falls, transportation or vehicle-related injuries, and finger entrapment injuries. Today's article will focus on common workplace accidents and help explain how to prevent them.
Vehicles of all sizes and shapes are used across several working environments. As a result, there is always a possibility of accidents. Whether it's hitting another vehicle, getting struck by a forklift, or falling from one – where you have vehicles, safety is always a concern.
Depending on your workplace environment, you must always access the overall danger vehicles pose to you and your employees. Construction workers, for instance, need to worry about vehicles they use to install asphalt and other cars passing through their work zone. Workplace designs, safety orientation, and installing free-flow PVC curtains for indoor warehouses can help prevent vehicle-related injuries.
Surprisingly, many employees get their hands and fingers stuck between the door and its frame. Though this might not seem critical, it often results in crushed, broken, and sprained fingers and may result in amputation. Even injuries that seem so small might be life-altering.
If you want to prevent such injuries from occurring in your vicinity, consider installing door hinge protectors on all high-traffic doors. These hinge protectors prevent hands and fingers from accessing the gap between the door and its frame, helping you prevent any finger entrapment injuries.
We tend to underestimate how critical a slip and fall injury can be. A slip, trip, and fall may result in head injuries, broken bones, cuts, back injuries, sprains, and strained or pulled muscles. Though these may seem trivial, slips, trips, and falls account for one-third of all injuries incurred at a workplace.
Slips generally occur on oily or wet surfaces. These may include places where an occasional slip might occur, areas affected by loose flooring (like mats or rugs), and weather hazards. Trips are most common in areas where you have limited visibility. These include places where you have obstructed vision, poor lighting conditions, and places with many wires.
The best way you can prevent such injuries is by practicing good housekeeping. You can efficiently prevent slips, trips, and falls if you keep areas free of liquids and clutter. It's also advisable for employees to wear the proper footwear and pay attention to where they are walking.
Workplace injuries can be detrimental to your business since they may result in a lawsuit which can cost a lot of money. By ensuring safety around the workplace, you can easily save your business a lot of time, money, and energy fighting a long legal battle.