Experts have always said that knowledge is power, and business owners should understand their companies’ risks to be able to protect them. Like everything in life, awareness can help you win half of the battle. Identifying and figuring out how to prevent the most common types of accidents and injuries can help you prepare better and take the required measures to keep your employees and clients safe.

All kinds of accidents can happen on worksites and even in offices, costing both you and your employees valuable resources. Each work environment presents a unique set of potential hazards. Not even working virtually 100% indoors at an office could prevent work-related injuries. In fact, vision strains, neck and back pains, and pain in the wrists and hands are common medical conditions among office workers.

This article takes a look at the most common workplace accidents and provides recommendations on how to prevent them from occurring.

Fatigue and exhaustion

Fatigue and exhaustion could have a negative impact on your workers’ productivity because they reduce morale and trigger health conditions that prevent them from completing their tasks successfully. The main factors that trigger workplace fatigue are excessive stress, lack of or restless sleep, too few or no days off, irregular sleeping patterns. If your employees work in shifts, they’re more likely to experience exhaustion and fatigue due to irregular sleep cycles.

As an employer, you can take some steps to prevent and lower exhaustion and fatigue.

– Periodically evaluate scheduling to determine if some workers do not benefit from sufficient rest-time between shifts or are overworked.

– Offer your staff at least two consecutive days off so they can properly recover and sleep.

– Check if your workers take sufficient breaks during work hours.

– Try to improve the regularity of shifts, if possible, to prevent irregular sleeping patterns.

Your employees could also take some steps to keep exhaustion and fatigue at bay. During training sessions, recommend them to:

– Take breaks.

– Get to bed at a consistent time and sleep at least 7 hours every night.

– Don’t drink caffeine beverages before sleep.

– Stay physically active.

– Drink plenty of water.

– Alternate between tasks to keep their mind engaged.

Trips, slips, and falls

Trips, slips, and falls account for one-third of the total number of workplace accidents and are one of the main causes of compensation claims. When employees experience injuries to their neck, head, or back due to improper work conditions that caused them to trip, slip, or fall, they hire a company like Accidents Claims UK to assist them in claiming compensation.

The most common factors that cause trips, slips, and falls in work environments are:

– Poor lighting

– Occasional spills

– Clutter

– Oily or wet surfaces

– Wrinkled mats or carpeting

– Weather hazards that cause icy walkways and steps

– Uncovered cables

– Loose rugs

– Uneven walking surfaces

The easiest ways to prevent any of the above hazards from causing an accident are:

– Make sure all your employees wear proper footwear

– Clean and maintain the workspace regularly and properly

– Install quality walking surfaces.

Beyond this, you should also encourage your staff to be proactive and report the workplace areas where they identify any damage, spillage, obstruction, or clutter that may become an accident risk.

Being caught or struck by moving vehicles or machinery

Accidents often happen in factories, construction sites, and farms because they rely on heavy machinery and equipment to complete operations. When pieces of machinery and tools are not properly guarded and used, they become safety hazards. If human body parts get stuck or caught in machines, the result can be life-threatening. Also, if workers get hit by flying objects or exposed moving parts, they can suffer serious injuries. The number of injuries people can experience if they get caught or struck by machinery or moving vehicles is long and horrifying. The most common ailments associated with this kind of accident are blindness, severed fingers, crushed arms and hands, and death.

If you use heavy machinery, tools or vehicles to complete daily operations, make sure to safeguard and maintain them properly. Also, ask your employees always to wear protective gear when using them.

Workplace violence

Even if you find it hard to believe, the instances in which threats are uttered and assaults are common in workplaces. Research shows that people working in isolated areas, especially during the night, are more likely to become victims of workplace accidents.

It’s paramount to prevent workplace violence, as your business can be held liable if one employee physically or mentally hurts another or one of your clients. Here are some recommendations on how you can deter violence at work:

– Install cameras

– Improve your lighting system

– Install an alarm system

– Have protective barriers in place

– Make sure all locations where your staff works are easily visible from other areas

– Provide training to teach employees how to avoid workplace violence

– Develop a Zero Tolerance Policy to protect clients, visitors, and employees.

Musculoskeletal health issues

The Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index reveals that musculoskeletal disorders account for 33.2% of workplace injuries due to repetitive motions, overextension, and other similar exertions. These health conditions are regularly related to pulling, lifting, pushing, carrying, reaching, twisting, and repetitive motions that put pressure on the workers’ muscles and joints.

Even if it’s challenging to prevent musculoskeletal disorders, you can do it to some extent to reduce their impact on your staff’s health.

– Customise the tasks according to the worker’s needs and skills

– Eliminate awkward positioning and postures from processes

– Use adjustable workstations

– Use automated tools and equipment to perform operations that require excessive force and repetitive motions

– Train your workers to use equipment properly, lift safely, and understand the risks associated with their jobs

– Implement mandatory stretching and warm-up activities before shifts

– Provide your employees with adequate work breaks

– Ask employees to report musculoskeletal injuries immediately.

The most effective way to prevent injuries in the workplace is to transform it into a safe environment.