How Workplace Safety Has Become a Priority for all Industries
Dangerous equipment and poorly ventilated factories, once prevalent, have been superseded by safer and healthier working conditions. The number of accidents, injuries, and deaths across the majority of industries have reduced significantly over the past several decades —a trend that carries on to this day.
One of the most traumatizing (and costly) workplace injuries results from body parts getting caught in or struck by exposed moving parts of machines without protective guards. Crushed hands and arms, severed fingers, and blindness are some of the most typical injuries employees face from this type of workplace accident.
Safe and healthy workplaces are a recent phenomenon in our society – an outcome accomplished by the area of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS). OHS is an important field that studies trends in workplace illnesses and injuries and proposes strategies for their prevention and control.
As such, OHS incorporates the laws, standards, and approaches that are targeted at making the workplace healthier and safer for employees. Enhancing an organization’s occupational health and safety standards also ensures good business, an improved brand image, and better employee morale.Â
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What Are the Key Occupational Health and Safety Principles in the Workplace?
Occupational health and safety have a broad scope encompassing various disciplines: from ergonomics and epidemiology to toxicology and violence prevention. Despite this variety in scope, the following certain basic OHS principles can be identified
All Workers Have Rights
The protection of life and health in the workplace is a fundamental right of every worker. Businesses must ensure safety and security in the workplace, but employees are also responsible for their own safety and the safety of anyone who might be affected by their actions at work. Thus, it is imperative that workers are properly informed of existing occupational risks and hazards and receive sufficient training to perform their tasks safely.             Â
OHS Policies Must Be Established, Implemented, and Monitored
Occupational health and safety policies must be established at an organizational level, as well as adequately communicated to all the involved parties. Once OHS policies are formulated, they must be implemented, monitored, analyzed, and systematically reviewed. The promotion of OHS is an important strategy for both enterprises and governments: ensuring the well-being of workers positively impacts their productivity. Healthy employees usually have a higher motivation to deliver better results and services, therefore contributing favorably to the organization they are employed with and the society at large
OHS Policies Must Aim at Prevention and Control
Prevention refers to the avoidance of the risk or hazard at a workplace. In contrast to prevention, control refers to the mitigation activities where the risk cannot be prevented. Work-related risks and hazards should be avoided or eliminated and (if not possible) minimized by taking preventative actions, in order of priority. OHS prevention and control initiatives must focus on reducing common work-related injuries and accidents, protecting safety-sensitive workers, and identifying higher-risk work situations.
Continuous Improvement of OHS Must be Promoted
It is important to ensure that OHS regulations and standards are continuously adapted to social, economic, technical, and other changes that take place in workplaces. National OHS institutions, relevant professional bodies, and the companies that create the technologies used in safety systems all participate in continual OHS improvement
Compensation and Rehabilitation Must Be Made Available to Workers
OHS plans must provide a compensation and rehabilitation system which ensures that no worker is disadvantaged if they are injured at work. Those workers who sustain work-related injuries have the right to take time off to recover from the injury, receive payments associated to medical expenses, as well as rehabilitation services to help them return safely to their job responsibilities.
Effective OHS Training Must Be Provided
It is crucial that employees are provided with proper training on all aspects including health and safety measures. OHS training is an effective way for workers to gain important workplace safety skills and knowledge to implement these safe practices and reduce injuries. Some of the common benefits of OHS training include reduced rates of workplace accidents and injuries, improved employee productivity and morale, better compliance with existing OHS laws and regulations, and consequently a better bottom line for organizations.
Roughly three million American employees suffer some type of major work-related illness or injury every single year. The human cost and economic burden of poor occupational safety and health practices are immense. However, most of these illnesses and injuries are mainly caused by preventable factors which could be minimized or eliminated by implementing fundamental OHS principles. Understanding these principles and effectively implementing them is critical for ensuring the health and safety of every workplace.
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The 5 Most Common Workplace Accidents
While many workplace accidents can be unavoidable, steps can be taken to mitigate the risks. To properly understand how to minimize the chances of accidents occurring, it is essential to understand the 5 most common workplace accidents.
1. Slips, Trips, and Falls
Approximately one-third of all personal injuries in the workplace result from slips, trips and falls. These types of accidents are also a top cause of worker’s compensation claims as they typically include neck, back, and head injuries.
2. Being Caught in Moving Machinery
Dangerous equipment and poorly ventilated factories, once prevalent, have been superseded by safer and healthier working conditions. The number of accidents, injuries, and deaths across the majority of industries have reduced significantly over the past several decades —a trend that carries on to this day.
One of the most traumatizing (and costly) workplace injuries results from body parts getting caught in or struck by exposed moving parts of machines without protective guards. Crushed hands and arms, severed fingers, and blindness are some of the most typical injuries employees face from this type of workplace accident.
3. Vehicle-related Accidents
Third on our list of workplace accidents is vehicle-related accidents. A high priority for those industries regulated by DOT, these accidents can include being struck or run over by a moving vehicle, falling from a moving vehicle, or being struck by objects falling from a vehicle
4. Fire and Explosions
Faulty gas lines, improperly stored combustible materials, and open flames have devastating consequences as they can lead to explosions and fires within the workplace. While these types of accidents are the rarest on our list of workplace accidents, only accounting for about 3 percent of workplace injuries, they have the highest casualty rates.
5. Overexertion Injuries
Rounding out our list of 5 most common workplace accidents is complications due to musculoskeletal disorders. These disorders are something that employers must continually keep in mind as they are the costliest workplace injuries. Back pain alone cost employers more than 7 billion dollars last year, not to mention their contribution to the loss of productivity.
What Can You Do To Minimize The Risk Of Workplace Accidents
While there is no way to eliminate the risk of workplace accidents, prioritizing knowledge of hazards and sharing best practices may reduce the number of incidents. If you want to create a culture of awareness and eliminate apathy towards safety, please contact one of our trainers today. We specialize in providing on-site and virtual training that meets all MSHA, OSHA, and DOT regulations. If you want to create a culture of awareness and eliminate apathy towards safety, please contact one of our trainers today. We specialize in providing on-site and virtual training that meets all MSHA, OSHA, and DOT regulations. To get started, please fill out the form below, and a member of our team will be with you shortly.