It’s the duty of every employer to protect their workers from injury. Here are five of the most common workplace injuries and how you can prevent these injuries from occurring.
Slips and falls
Slips and falls are by far the most common causes of injuries, resulting in everything from broken bones to fatalities (depending on the nature of the fall). You can avoid slip injuries by getting rid of slippery surfaces. Anti-slip mats as available from Matsdirect can be one way of doing this. Alternatively, you can put up signposts to alert people such as wet floor signs after mopping. As for falls, these tend to occur due to a lack of guard-rails. Harnesses may even be essential for certain jobs that require a lot of balance.
Trauma from falling objects
Falling objects are another common cause of workplace injuries. These could include tools that have been dropped in a construction site or box falling of a shelf in an office or warehouse. On construction sites, measures can be taken such as securing tools to worker’s arms or placing nets and canopies to catch falling items. As for offices and warehouses, avoid placing heavy items on high shelves or make sure items are secured.
Muscle strains
Muscle strains most commonly occur when lifting heavy items. The neck and back are the most common places for these strains and they can sometimes cause permanent damage. Such injuries often occur as a result of bad technique when lifting – make sure to train your employee to lift from the knees and not to bend over at the waist. You may also be able to supply back braces and lift aids to reduce the risk of muscle strain (you can find back braces at sites like PhysioRoom).
RSIs
Repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) occur as a result of doing the same repeated action continuously. This could include scanning items on a supermarket conveyor belt or typing on a computer keyboard. RSIs occur over a long period of time and can result in chronic pain in the wrist and elbows, which sometimes accompanied by loss of sensation and stiffness. The best way to prevent RSIs is to enforce regular breaks when doing repetitive tasks. Good ergonomics and good quality tools can also prevent RSIs – this could include making sure that keyboards are at the right height and that power tools don’t vibrate too much.
Road accident injuries
Jobs that involve driving can also pose a risk of injury to employees. An accident could be fatal or it could cause nasty injuries. To prevent these injuries, you should try to only invest in vehicles with a good safety rating. On top of this, only employ workers that have a good driving record. You can also encourage safe driving by monitoring your drivers with a dashcam.
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