Accidents in the workplace can occur due to various factors and in many cases avoidable. Some common situations that may lead to workplace accidents include inadequate training, clutter and poor housekeeping, failure to wear suitable protective clothing, etc. It is important to remain vigilant and take proactive measures to identify the culprits that are likely to cause harm, prevent these accidents and promote a safe working environment.
It is necessary to also acknowledge that most accidents causes are common in many workplaces across different industries.
By addressing these causes first, you are likely to drive the accident rate down substantially.
Reducing accident rates will directly improve your bottom line. But it will also drive down the risk of you being targeted by legal action, in the form of workplace injury claims.
Below are some tips on how best to safeguard your workplace ensuring you avoid accidents occurring.
Inadequate Training and Supervision
When workers do not know how to safely perform certain tasks, like operating machinery or handling dangerous chemicals, they might fail to take appropriate precautions. This will in turn increase the dangers of mistakes and severity of a mishap. By providing employees with comprehensive training, you can mitigate the risk.
Poor Housekeeping and Cluttered Workspaces
Clutter has a direct impact on employee safety. Trailing cables and other debris can cause trips and falls. But it can also have a psychological impact. Where workers can see that standards for tidiness are not high, they might allow themselves to take safety less seriously than they ideally should. Having a rota in place for cleaning, and ensuring to conduct regular surprise inspections would help mitigate this issue.
Failure to Use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Personal protective equipment is often essential. The exact kind of PPE being worn, however, will tend to depend on the job. In a warehouse, construction site, or any other place where items might fall from height, a hard hat is essential. In a laboratory or medical context, facemasks might help to prevent the transmission of harmful pathogens.
What matters is that you select PPE that is appropriate for the work environment and that you mandate its use. Have hard rules in place for the wearing of PPE, so that workers aren’t forced to overcome cultural resistance to the practice.
Fatigue and Overexertion
When your workers are forced to log long hours, their effectiveness might begin to decline. They might have difficulty concentrating, and their reaction time might slow. They might have trouble assessing risk. In some cases, these things can make an accident more likely.
Thus, it’s important that employers take the threat of fatigue seriously. Think about which workers are working for longer than they should, and try to limit their hours. You might mandate break periods during the working day, too. This might go especially for high-concentration, high-stakes tasks, like operating a forklift or performing delicate soldering.
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