The 5 Most Common Accidents to Happen at Work

Business owners have to be on top of everything to ensure that their company runs to the best of its ability, but there is inevitably going to be times when something slips through the cracks. In many instances, this is in the area of health and safety and comes in a variety of forms, including accidents and injuries. Following incidents like these, it comes as no surprise when workers compensation becomes something that someone ends up looking into, along with the assistance of a personal injury attorney. No one asks for an accident, but these things do happen. This is why it is important to have someone at your workplace through who has gone through qualified first aid training, in case incidents do happen. Even if you take it upon yourself to look into Ottawa cpr training, knowing how to react in any incident will prove to come in handy, as you could be potentially saving someone’s life.

With that in mind, it pays to know what the most common accidents at work are. It can help business owners to understand better the areas where accidents and injuries are more likely to occur, and put procedures in place to ensure they are no longer likely to be an issue:

Slips

Whether it happens because something has been left out, not cleaned up or simply hasn’t been seen yet, slips are the most popular and most likely cause of an accident at work. They are extremely frustrating for business owners because they should be avoidable if the correct procedures are taking place, but unfortunately, these accidents take place at an alarming number every year.

When a spillage takes place, a wet floor sign should be placed out in clear view as soon as possible, while the person who found the spillage finds something to clean it up or the member of staff whose duty it is to clean up any spillages that take place. If these kinds of spillages are ignored, that’s when accidents and injuries happen.

Falling from Heights

There are a number of industries and job roles where people are expected to head up to heights that a lot of people would not feel comfortable with. Builders, roofers, electricians, factory workers – the list goes on, and they all run the risk of being in an accident where they fall from a height that causes serious injuries. Serious injuries and taking time off work can be consequential and leave you in financial difficulty, that is why it is important to hire a professional Workers Compensation Attorney, to help you get on your feet and fight your case whilst you are recovering.

These are extremely common and often happen due to poorly maintained ladders and equipment, and often due to a momentary lack of concentration. It is all it takes to suffer a fall, and you are more likely to be off work for a long period of time as a result, so plenty of training, signage and adequate safety equipment should be provided whenever heights are involved.

Lifting

Almost everybody who has ever done a day’s work has had to commit to a Manual Handling training session, and for a good reason! Overextension injuries caused by heavy lifting, and incorrect heavy lifting, are extremely common, and due to the nature of the injury and the fact that the injury is usually to the back, the person who finds themselves victim of a lifting injury is likely to be in a lot of pain, and on the sidelines for a long time.

According to a study on back injuries by the University of Maryland’s Department of Environmental Safety, Sustainability and Risk, more than one million back injuries are sustained in the workplace every year, and 80% of them due to failing manual handling tasks. Suddenly all of those training days spent on Manual Handling begins to make sense.

Hit by a Falling Object

Numerous accidents at work are just down to being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and in the case of employees who have been hit by a falling object while at work, it is an incredibly common situation, particularly for workers in the construction industry. The Occupational Safety & Health Administration reports that, in 2016 alone, 93 deaths occurred in the construction industry from being struck by an object.

The best course of action for business owners is to prepare their employees for the kind of environment they are working in. For example, if you have high shelves, always use a step ladder rather than stretching. If you have items and equipment that are even higher than that, in industrial environments such as factories, for example, wearing a hard hat should be a legal requirement for all employees.

Struck by a Vehicle

In warehouses and factories, where noise levels are extremely high, and the workspaces are often tight and tough to navigate, the chances of an employee being struck by a vehicle is a great deal higher than any other workplace. If your business has forklifts going to and fro throughout, or you have cars and trucks making deliveries constantly, you have to factor this into the health and safety regulations of your business and ensure that there is appropriate signage throughout the workplace. It is also essential that all staff members who will be driving at work to be properly trained in all areas, and their forklift licenses should be checked, filed and renewed where applicable.

What are the Effects of Accidents at Work?

In many of these cases, the people who get injured are out of work for some time, and it can have a hugely negative effect on other areas of their life due to stress and anxiety as a result of not being able to work. In this instance, many people contact an Injury Lawyer to see if they are entitled to compensation, which is often the case when an accident at work is not their fault.

For business owners, the best course of action to prevent this is to ensure that all employees are given adequate training in all aspects of their job role, and that refresher sessions are planned to ensure that all employees are up to speed on what is expected of them.

In recent reports, the US Department of Labor reported that some of most frequently cited OSHA standards violated in included fall protection, scaffolding, ladders, electrical wiring, and machine guarding. This should not be happening where staff are adequately trained and supervised.

Thanks to Ana