2 Most Common Workplace Accidents and How to Avoid Them
Workplace accidents are a serious topic. In fact, around 13 workers die from workplace accidents every day. Looking at the figures, it’s clear that workplace safety needs to be prioritized by businesses everywhere.
Naturally, the number of employees whose accidents don’t result in death is much, much higher. To make matters worse, most injuries in the workplace are entirely preventable.
When employees get hurt at work, everyone suffers. Employers have to deal with medical costs, lost productivity, and guilt, while the employee is left injured, traumatized, and in some cases, permanently disabled.
As a business owner, you need to know the two most common workplace injuries, what causes them, and what you can do to prevent them.
1. Muscle Strain
Muscle strain sustained in the workplace can be anything from shoulder pain to backache. The risk of muscle strains and pain increases when employees have to perform repetitive or unnatural movements or if they have to work from an awkward position.
Something for employers to bear in mind is that it typically costs less to prevent workplace injuries from occurring in the first place than to try and rectify the situation after the injury has occurred.
Muscle strain and pain can be prevented by providing basic training in effective lifting techniques, maintaining all equipment, and encouraging breaks. If workers are required to do heavy lifting frequently, providing castors and crates that can be pushed or pulled can make a huge difference.
2. Slips, Falls, and Trips
According to surveys conducted by the CDC, 13% of falls on the same level are due to slipping, 11% of falls from a height happen due to collapsed surfaces and openings, and 20% of all falls on the same level are due to tripping.
Furthermore, most slip and falls are from roofs, ladders, and scaffolding in the construction industry. But, even if your employees have no contact with ladders, roofs, and scaffolding, there are other reasons these accidents occur.
Spills, obstructions, broken equipment, slippery surfaces, and inadequate safety signage increase the risk of slip and fall accidents. As an employer, it is your duty to ensure that your employees follow the correct safety protocols – you can do this by providing instruction, training, and outlining work safety best practices.
Other measures you can take to prevent slip and fall accidents are providing employees with the correct gear, facilitating cleaning during non-working hours, and investing in specialized non-slip flooring.
The Bottom Line
While there are many ways for your employees to injure themselves in the workplace, you need to put the proper safety protocols in place and be well-prepared to provide your workers with the care they need if an accident occurs.
Workplace injuries have a devastating effect on both employees and employers – it’s up to you to do everything you can to prevent them.
By designing a written health and safety policy and showing your employees that you care about their wellbeing and safety, you can minimize the chances of workplace accidents and provide peace of mind – for yourself and your employees.