No matter what your involvement is in your business, be that an employee or employer, it is impossible to ignore the accidents that occur in your workplace. There are lots of common occupational accidents that could occur at your business. Here are the risks of accidents that you should be aware of and how to prevent them.
Slips and Falls
Slips and falls are some of the most commonly known occupational accidents. They occur much more regularly in the wet winter months when the outdoor areas of businesses are covered in snow, ice, and rain. However, not all slips and falls are caused by weather hazards. If you have an area of your workplace that is frequently wet, like an area that gets cleaned a lot, or a bathroom, consider putting up a sign to warn your employees of the wet area. Also, encourage your employees to clean up wet areas when they see them, and to walk carefully in areas that might have leaks or regular cleaning. While not all slips and falls cause injuries more significant than some bruising, some of them can cause serious injuries or even death.
Head Injuries
A significant percentage of yearly head injuries occur in the workplace. Head injuries in the workplace should be treated with great care, as they can cause significant mental and physical damage to the victim. Usually, time off of work will be required after having a head injury, as even a mild concussion could significantly affect the health of the employee. In order to prevent head injuries in your workplace, encourage all of your employees to wear head coverings, such as hard hats, when entering areas that could have a risk of falling debris, materials, or large machinery.
Heavy Machinery Accidents
Another common type of accident that occurs in the workplace comes from using heavy machinery. There are countless injuries that come from using heavy machinery, including lacerations, bone breakage, crushed body parts, internal bleeding, and even amputations. Not only can these injuries cause serious physical injury and devastation, but they can also cause serious mental trauma to all your employees, not only the ones who are involved in the accident. In order to prevent these kinds of injuries, you need to have specific safety protocols that should be followed when using heavy machinery and specific training to approve the employees that will be running the machinery.
Farm Accidents
If you work on a farm, there are lots of different accidents that could occur. Farm machinery, such as tractors, can be heavy and clumsy. Since this machinery is so hard to operate, there are lots of serious or fatal accidents that occur, such as rollover accidents and overturning tractors. If you realize that your farm employees could be at risk due to the machinery and tractors that you are using, try to use equipment and procedures to prevent such accidents. For example, tractor canopies can prevent rollover accidents from occurring while operating a tractor.
Electrocution
Many workers are at risk of electrocution accidents, particularly those who work in construction. Workers aren’t only at risk of electrocution if they are electricians or working with power lines. Electrocution accidents could also happen if accidental contact with power lines occurs, such as driving over power lines, structure collapses, etc. One way to reduce the risk of electrocution is to make sure that your electrical equipment is properly maintained with specific procedures and rules. Make sure that electric outlets and wires aren’t improperly used or exposed. If you’re aware of electrocution hazards in your workplace, make sure that your employees use the proper protective clothing and safety equipment. Additionally, post signs around your workplace alerting your employees of electrocution risks.
Vehicle Accidents
If anyone in your workplace uses any kind of vehicle, they should be taking proper precautions for their safety. There are all sorts of vehicle accidents that can occur in a workplace. Whether your workplace uses forklifts, delivery cars, employee vehicles, or freight trucks, there are safety procedures that should be taken. After an accident, it is possible that a member of your company could qualify for compensation to help them with the damage that has been done to the company vehicle, and the injuries that they’ve received. Make sure that the accident is well documented, that pictures are taken, and that help is quickly called to the scene. In order to try to prevent vehicle accidents, people at your workplace should be required to follow all driving and traffic laws and should be required to have safety training prior to vehicle operation.
Explosions
Another accident that you may be faced with in the workplace is an explosion. Explosions are some of the most dangerous and fatal accidents that can happen. Explosions can occur in many different kinds of workplaces that use technology or machinery, but especially workplaces such as oil plants, manufacturing companies, chemical industries, construction sites, and more. Explosions can even occur from the smallest spark exposed to chemicals in the air. In order to protect yourself from explosions, wear the appropriate safety gear such as masks, helmets, safety goggles, clothing coverings, boots, and cloves to protect your skin and body from explosions.
Overexertion Injuries
While you may not consider overexertion injuries to be very serious workplace injuries, they are significant enough that they should be on your radar. One of the most common overexertion injuries is back pain caused by improper lifting, pushing, carrying, or pulling. While back pain is quite common, overexertion can cause it to increase to the point that the injured individual may have to take time off of work to heal and recuperate. If you have people in your workplace that are performing manual labor tasks that could end up causing overexertion, train them on how to properly perform their tasks such as how to safely lift things to prevent injury.
As you are training or being trained to work in a specific job, be aware of the different safety risks that are around you. Remember the different injuries and accidents that have been discussed in this article and take measures to prevent them. The more conscious and aware you are of the dangers and risks that surround you, the safer your company will be.
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