Every year, thousands of workers are injured on the job. From carpal tunnel due to excessive computer work to a broken foot sustained working on the line of a plant floor, injuries can occur in all working environments.
Last year, the five leading causes of work-place illness and injuries cost UK businesses more than £37 billion. Here are my top tips to identify and help mitigate those risks.
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Overexertion: Injuries from excessive lifting, pushing, pulling, holding, carrying or throwing accounted for more than 25 percent of the cost burden. To mitigate overexertion, encourage your employees to get help if available or use devices to assist with the task. In addition, proper technique training should be mandatory.
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Fall on same level: Keeping your work area clean and clutter-free is very important in preventing these kinds of injuries. Also, using anti-slip coatings on floors or wearing anti-slip footwear may help reduce falls.
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Bodily reaction: Injuries from bending, climbing, reaching, standing, sitting, slipping or tripping without falling accounted for 11.4 percent of total incidents last year. Ways to reduce bodily reaction injuries include eliminating environmental factors, and being aware of hazards such as improper placement of tools, or clutter around your workstation. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle with proper physical conditioning is also vital.
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Fall to lower level: Make sure ladders are in proper working order and scaffolding has been built and repaired correctly. It’s important to make sure that these tools are inspected and maintained regularly. Also, remember to wear proper fall protection where applicable.
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Struck by object: Simple ways to reduce injuries caused by “struck-by objects” include: wearing hardhats; stacking materials properly to prevent sliding, falling or collapse; and wearing proper PPE including safety glasses, goggles and face shields to name a few. Don’t work under cranes, hoists or heavy machinery whilst in operation and to avoid struck-by incidents with vehicles, workers should wear seat belts, check vehicles thoroughly and wear highly visible clothing.
These are just a few simple examples of what can be done to reduce these top five injuries in your workplace. With proper training and continued awareness, injury numbers will decline, with fewer people being injured on the job.
I’m David Sewell. I’m an Underwriting Manager at CNA Hardy with over 27 years’ experience. Follow CNA Hardy’s blog series on LinkedIn.
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