Preventing Workplace Injury: What Employers and Employees Need to Know
Workplace injuries can be serious, costly, and even life-threatening. Injury prevention is the responsibility of both employers and employees. Understanding the most common reasons for workplace injury can help employers create a culture of safety in their organization, while employees can take proactive steps to protect themselves from harm.
What Causes Workplace Injuries?
The most common cause of workplace injuries are slips, trips, and falls. These types of accidents make up over 25% of all workplace injuries reported each year. Slips, trips, and falls can happen due to wet or slippery surfaces, poor lighting conditions, or uneven floor surfaces. These types of incidents are preventable with proper housekeeping procedures that address debris on walkways, good visibility levels in all areas, and routine maintenance to ensure floors remain free from hazards.
Another major cause of workplace injury is overexertion. Overexertion occurs when employees lift items that are too heavy for them or perform other activities that require more energy than their body is able to handle safely. This type of injury happens when an employee does not use the proper safety equipment or takes shortcuts during a job task in order to save time or energy. To prevent overexertion injuries employers must provide training on proper lifting techniques as well as use mechanical aids such as hand trucks or forklifts whenever possible.
Finally, repetitive motion injuries are a major source of workplace injury that often go unrecognized until they become more serious medical problems down the line. Repetitive motion injuries occur when an employee performs a task over and over again without taking breaks or changing positions regularly throughout their work day. To reduce the risk of repetitive motion injuries employers should provide ergonomic furniture such as adjustable chairs and desks as well as encourage regular stretching breaks throughout the day for employees who do tasks that involve repetitive motions such as typing or filing paperwork.
Conclusion:
Workplace injuries are serious matters that need to be taken seriously by both employers and employees alike in order to reduce the risk of harm in the workplace. By understanding what causes these types of accidents employers can create policies that help reduce risks while educating their employees about how to stay safe on the job will alert them to any potential hazards they may encounter during their shift so they can avoid getting injured on the job. With this knowledge everyone can work together towards creating a safer working environment for all!