Addressing The Most Common Safety Risk In The Workplace
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If you’re looking to keep your workplace safe and to secure the well-being of your team, then you have to be aware of what, exactly, you’re protecting them from. You have to know the risks that can affect them, as well as what you can do to mitigate them. Here, we will look at a few examples of the most common risks to safety in the workplace.
Overworking
Overexertion is classed by many as the single most common cause of workplace accidents and injuries. This can cover everything from mistakes in judgment caused by tiredness to musculoskeletal injuries that can affect people who have been unable to take the break that they need. Even in the standard office, people need breaks and the ability to get up, move around, and stretch during their workday, or else overworking can begin to tax their bodies, making them more prone to all manner of accidents and injuries.
Slips, trips, and falls
For instance, a person is a lot more likely to slip, trip, or fall if they’re overworked since they might not be paying as much attention to where they are going. However, other factors can make accidents a lot more likely, as well. For instance, not having the right flooring for spaces that see a lot of foot traffic, poor lighting in areas that have obstacles or changes in floor level, and not cleaning the space effectively can all make such accidents more likely to happen.
Falling from height
While falling at the same level might be a more common injury, falling from heights isn’t particularly rare, either. What’s more, the injuries sustained from falling from a greater height can be exponentially more dangerous, which ensures the need for safety installations like OSHA stairs to broach any distance in heights, as well as things likely safety railings for elevated workplaces. For anyone who has to climb or reach high places, safety harnesses should be considered essential.
Collisions with objects
Just as people falling from things can be a great risk, so too can objects falling on people. Ensuring reliable and secure shelving methods for any objects stored at a height is crucial, as is making sure that your team has the safe methods to reach high-up objects, whether this means stairs, machinery, or otherwise. A heavy object falling from above the worker has the potential to do serious bodily harm.
Errors due to physical exertion
Overworking in any environment can lead to injury, as mentioned. However, accidents are even more likely to happen when someone is physically exerting themselves. One of the most common instances of this is when workers injure themselves when lifting heavy objects. Providing the training for proper lifting form, as well as the equipment to help them better manage heavier objects, can help you prevent this.
The tips above address the most common safety issues in most workplaces, but it’s worth thinking about what risks are inherent to your workplace, specifically. As such, it’s always recommended that you carry out a safety audit.