This guide outlines the most common workplace injuries and how you can prevent them happening.
Workplace injuries occur more than you might think. Workers across a number of industries injure themselves on the jobsite for a number of reasons. While some injuries can be avoidable, others can be done through preventative measures the business can put in place.
Common workplace injuries
In this article we’ll cover the top common workplace injuries and how to prevent them.
Trips, Slips and Falls
Trips, slips and falls are the most common injury type on any jobsite. They can occur in office settings, construction settings, or in public jobs. The most common injury which can develop includes sprains, broken bones, concussions and sometimes fatalities. According to the U.S Bureau of statistics there were 5,486 fatalities in 2021 in relation to workplace accidents. A further 2.6 million injury cases were claimed in 2023.
Some of the causes of trips, slips and falls are employees wearing the wrong footwear, cluttered workplaces, wet flooring, uneven walkways, inadequate warning signs, and lack of maintenance on floor areas. To help prevent these accidents from occurring businesses can inspect and clean floor areas, install proper lighting, use non-slip mats, encourage proper footwear, set up warning signs, and maintain walkways.
If you find you’ve experienced a work injury in Reading or in your local area, it’s important to seek advice from a professional lawyer to know if you need to seek compensation for your accident while working.
Falling Objects
Falling objects are a common cause of accidents in manufacturing, construction and warehouse environments. When items fall from heights, it can cause serious injury to the head and can fracture other parts of the body, or it can cause fatalities.
Some of the causes of falling objects include poorly stored materials, cluttered warehouses, no guardrails or barriers, and inadequate storage systems. Businesses can prevent falling objects by installing storage solutions correctly, reduce over packaging of items, encourage items to be placed back in their rightful area, along with making employees wear head protection and installing warning signs in high risk areas.
Burns
Burns can be common in certain workspaces where open flames and chemicals occur. The most common work types include laboratories, manufacturing, restaurants, and healthcare facilities. Some of the causes of burns can include lack of protective gear, splashes of chemicals, spills of hot liquid, faulty equipment, along with improper handling of chemicals and exposure to hot surfaces, molten metal and flames.
Some of the preventative measures businesses can do include encouraging employees to wear PPE equipment, training employees to handle chemical and hot equipment correctly, and conducting regular inspection of safety protocols.
OSHA generally performs inspections and has around 1850 inspectors. However, there are over eight million worksites in the US, leaving one inspector for every 70,000 workers. This is why businesses need to regularly inspect their workplace to keep their workers safe.
Repetitive Strain Injury
Repetitive strain injury is caused by prolonged use of certain joints or muscles in a repetitive way. These injuries can develop over a long period of time and a person may start to feel soreness in the affected area.
Causes of repetitive strain injury include poor posture, awkward work positions, repetitive motions during tasks, prolonged periods of sitting or standing, and inadequate ergonomic setups. Workplaces can prevent these injuries by installing ergonomic workstations, encouraging breaks, promoting job rotation and change in tasks, along with educating employees about how they can be comfortable while doing the task.
Summary
Workplace injuries can sometimes leave a lasting effect on the worker and their families. By taking the time to make sure the jobsite and workplace is properly maintained and safety standards are enforced, workers will have peace of mind knowing they’re working in a safe environment.
