Injuries can occur in all types of workspace. Whether you work in a run-of-the-mill office or in a high-risk environment like a construction site, there are hazards that have the potential to cause physical harm.
These workplace hazards are extremely wide-ranging, from moving vehicles and complex machinery to heavy objects that can cause muscle strain when handled. So, the point is not to hope for a hazard-free workplace but to establish some guidelines to help protect against injuries when hazards happen.
So, in this post, we will be taking you through some safety guidelines that can help prevent injuries to your workers in the workplace. Let’s get into it.
How Often Are People Injured At Work?
Injuries in the workplace occur more frequently than you might imagine: an average of 612,000 UK workers are injured in the workplace each year according to recent government statistics.
The most common cause of work-related injury is ‘slips and trips’ such as falling down steps or tripping over cables, and slipping on ice or liquid that has been spilled on the floor.
If you are really concerned about the safety of your workers, then you should ensure you have preventive measures in place to protect them in the face of workplace hazards. In the next sections of this post, we will talk about some things you can do to be on top of this.
Reducing the Risk of Injury at Work
To help ensure the safety of their employees, business owners should take steps to safeguard against accidents and injuries in the workplace. While you cannot remove the chance of injury at work entirely, there are several ways to reduce the risk of hazards causing harm.
Employees could make a claim for an injury that happened at work if it is clear that it was not their fault. Taking measures to help prevent accidents within the workspace therefore not only protects your employees but also safeguards your business against potential expensive legal action in the event of an on-site injury.
4 Ways to Safeguard Against Injuries In the Workplace
#1: Conduct a risk assessment
When putting together a plan to reduce the risk of injury in the workplace, start off by conducting a risk assessment. Having a thorough understanding of all dangers is essential to creating a comprehensive protective plan.
#2: Educate staff on the hazards
Once all risks have been identified, ensure that your employees are aware of these hazards.
You could begin by conducting a health & safety training presentation to outline the potential dangers of the workplace to your staff. You can check EcoOnline’s glossary of terms on employee health and safety This should be followed up by regular refresher sessions and should be included as part of the induction session for new employees.
#3: Provide employees with PPE
As well as ensuring employees are educated on the risks in the workplace, you should provide any necessary personal protective equipment to help minimize the chance of injury.
For example, construction workers handling tools and machinery on a building site should be given clothing that offers physical protection and keeps them well visible to other workers. This could include a safety helmet, goggles, hi-vis vests, work gloves, and half-face respirators.
#4: Use visual aids to highlight risks
Visual aids are a great way to remind employees about the dangers of the workplace. They are also vital for warning first-time visitors to the site.
For permanent hazards, such as staircases and fixed factory machinery, you can use signs to highlight risks. Make sure these signs are easily visible, and fitted within the eyeline.
Using colors and symbols associated with danger, like a red exclamation point, will help to make sure that these cannot be overlooked. You can also include best practices for operation on equipment signs.
Temporary hazards, for example, the liquid that has been spilled on the floor, can also be identified using signage. ‘Wet floor’ warning signs placed beside spillages will go a long way towards avoiding an accident in the workplace.