Accidents could happen anytime and anywhere. While safety precautions cannot totally inhibit an accident to happen, they might reduce the chances of it. Accidents are quite common in the workplace, more so in construction sites and factories.
This then negatively affects your business as it leads to lost productivity, and low morale among your employees. In addition, your business incurs the extra expense of paying for medical bills and sorting the worker’s compensation paperwork.
If you’re a business owner, it’s necessary to know common workplace injuries. This way, you’ll be able to take proactive measures to reduce the likelihood of certain accidents from happening. Without further ado, here are the most common workplace injuries and how best to handle them.
- Slips, Trips, And Falls
The majority of workplace injuries result from slip, trip, and fall accidents. These are one of the main reasons employees file worker’s compensation claims. Accidents like these are common because many workplaces usually have an area that slipping is highly likely.
For slips, the most common reasons why they may be happening include:
- Loose rugs
- Wet surfaces
- Weather hazards such as icy steps and sidewalks
On the other hand, stumbles are usually caused by:
- Uneven surfaces
- Scattered cords
- Poor lighting
- Wrinkled mats or carpets
- Clutter
Tripping, falling, and slipping accidents can result in severe injuries such as:
- Traumatic brain injury
- Soft tissue damage like sprains, contusions, and the likes
- Broken bones
- Spinal cord injury
After getting involved in a trip and fall while at work, inspect your body to check for any fracture or pain. If you can’t stand up, use your phone to call for emergency assistance. You may also ask for help from those around. You shouldn’t try to stand up, as this might only worsen the severity of your injuries. After experiencing such injury, one will need to take a break from work and this leads to reduced productivity for the company.
Fortunately, most slip and fall injuries can be prevented without costing the company’s extra resources. Some of the ways this can be avoided include:
- Placing non-slip mats on entrances and other slippery surfaces
- Marking uneven flooring and decks
- Quickly cleaning up debris and spills
With such preventive measures in place, the occurrence of such accidents will be reduced.
- Falling-Object Hazards
Another common cause for workplace injuries is being struck by a falling object. When this happens, you might suffer from various injuries like, blunt-trauma, internal organ injuries, fractures, eye injuries, bruises, and cuts.
To avoid the severity of injuries suffered, it’s best to always wear proper workplace safety gear, especially on your head as it’s the most vulnerable part of your body. Also, make sure to remind everyone within the organization on the importance of storing items safely. After being hit by a falling object, you need to get medical attention right away.
- Overexertion
A significant number of workplace injuries also happen due to overexertion. These injuries are usually caused by pushing, pulling, throwing, holding, lifting, and carrying activities. An overexertion injury can also result from years of doing demanding activities each day or after a single incident. Some of the duties that can lead to overexertion injuries include:
- Typing on the keyboard
- Sitting at the desk
- Loading trucks
- Moving patients
- Carrying supplies or inventory
- Loading trucks
The injuries you’ll end up experiencing due to overexertion include chronic joint pain due to wear and tear and lower-back injuries. There are different ways you can address the problem of overexertion. Examples of how you can do this include resting your feet and hands during breaks or visiting a chiropractor when you’re experiencing spinal misalignment. You can also go for massage therapy which would be great to relieve the stress from your joints and muscles.
There are a couple of techniques you can reduce the frequency of overexertion injuries, and this includes:
- Using ergonomic furniture
- Instructing the use of lift aids, safety harnesses, and back braces
- Teaching employees on smart-lifting practices like using their knees when lifting
- Motor Vehicle Accidents
If you’re a driver who operates delivery vans, cargo trucks, or smaller vehicles like forklifts, the risk of getting involved in a motor vehicle accident is high. This also applies if you spend most of your time around these moving cars. For example, you might get hit by a forklift while transporting items within the warehouse or factory.
Therefore, employers must make sure there are proper protocols to avoid motor vehicle accidents from happening. This can be done by implementing safe driving policies that enforce a ban on distracted driving and emphasize defensive driving. Having priority signs, speed limit, and directions would be advantageous.
Takeaway
Workplace injuries happen each day, and thousands of employees suffer each year. Due to this, both the employee and employer end up losing their precious time and money. Therefore, it’s important to implement proper safety protocols to lower the prevalence of these accidents in the workplace. After reading this article, you’re now well-informed on the most common workplace injuries that you need to know about and the best ways to handle them when they do arise.
