The workplace should be a safe environment. However, there are times when things don’t go according to plan and workers get hurt.
A personal injury in the workplace could result in trouble for your company – so you and your firm need to be prepared.
What are some of the worst kinds of workplace accidents and how can your business avoid them? What are considered as the Most Dangerous Jobs?
Fall from height
A number of businesses won’t have to worry about falls from a height. But there are plenty that will. If employees have to step up onto ladders, platforms, scaffolding, vehicles, shelving or anything else that raises them off the ground, the risk of falling from a height should be considered.
This means that companies that perhaps hadn’t considered this kind of accident as a threat should. Retail businesses see employees climbing ladders for stock, office-based firms can see workers step onto shelving to reach files and even schools can see staff members use platforms. This should mean that falling from a height should be a concern for all companies.
And it’s a real concern. Falling from a height is the top reason for fatalities in the workplace in most industries. In the UK in 2018/19, this kind of accident killed 40 people – out of a total of 147 people who lost their lives at work.
OSHA certification courses are a must if your workers are driving dangerous vehicles. To avoid fatal hazards you need to make sure that your workers are safe in the warehouse or in the construction place. Moreover, not having an OSHA certification will cause some serious fines and penalties in case of any workplace accident so you need to be careful and make sure that everyone knows the safety measures.
Moving vehicle collisions
If vehicles are part of your company’s daily operations, you might be concerned to learn that they were the reason for 30 deaths in the workplace in the UK in 2018/19. This made it the second highest number of fatalities caused by a single type of accident.
Manufacturing, agriculture, logistics and construction are just some sectors in which vehicles are commonplace. This means that these businesses need to be aware of just how dangerous their vehicles are.
And these vehicles are not just cars. Specialist vehicles, including tractors, forklift trucks and bulldozers, all present a threat to employees. Make sure your business carries out the necessary risk assessment when using vehicles and that everyone makes use of the appropriate high visibility gear and that they are all trained in the correct way to keep themselves safe around moving vehicles.
Moving object accidents
A total of 16 people were killed by moving objects in UK workplaces in 2018/19. These objects include pedestrian-operated pallet trucks, racks and trolleys. Although it is unusual that these objects could cause injuries severe enough to be fatal, they could certainly hurt workers.
Objects attached to or otherwise linked to vehicles or machinery, however, could cause serious harm. Hoist hooks and loads carried by cranes are just some of the more dangerous objects you might encounter in the workplace.
If your company makes use of them, you will need to ensure the operators have designated routes away from other workers where possible. Good visibility is important to keep everyone safe, so focus on this in your risk assessments.
Companies that take the issue of accidents in the workplace seriously will typically see fewer of them. This keeps your workers as safe as possible.
