Do you often find yourself calling a personal injury lawyer in Burlington to settle claims by employees? Do you almost always have to attend to employees who get injured or hospitalized while they are working their jobs?
A place of business is commonplace for injuries. As a business owner, you seek to reduce the cost of compensation insurance for your employees. As the old adage goes that prevention is better than cure. The best way to keep the insurance cost is to keep your workplace as safe as possible. To get started, here are the 6 common workplace injuries that can be prevented:
1. Overexertion and Bodily Reaction
Canada’s Fair Labor Standards Act lays out different laws that define allowable working conditions. If your workplace demands lifting, moving, or sitting for a long time, you will be charged for “overexertion and bodily reaction”. This exposure is prevalent in most workplaces. Overexertion workplace injury could be caused by:
- Using tools on construction sites
- Loading trucks
- Typing
- Lifting supplies
- Standing at assembly lines
- Moving patients
- Sitting for long hours
This goes to show that almost every worker is exposed to overexertion and bodily reactions.
Prevention:
The problem with painful backs and sore wrists is that they do not appear overnight. To help your employees avoid these injuries, here are some things you can do:
- Train employees on smart lifting practices
- Mandate the use of safety gear, back braces, and lifting aids
- Require frequent breaks for employees who sit or stay in a single position for a long time
- Invest in ergonomic furniture
- Encourage the rotation of tasks if possible
2. Falls, Slips, and Trips
Slip-and-fall accidents are rampant. This can be due to uneven surfaces, tripping hazards, icy sidewalks, and wet floors among others. The injuries a person will sustain because of a fall, slip, or trip will greatly vary.
Prevention:
When falls, slips, and trips are classified as non-fatal, the person may sustain strained muscles and broken bones. However, there can also be serious spine and brain injuries and even deaths resulting from these. To reduce such incidents, here are some things you can do:
- Clean any spill immediately
- Use “wet floor” signs when mopping or if there are spills
- Place the nonskid tape on pathways
- Install handrails in heavy-traffic areas
- Encourage employees to use nonstick soles
3. Contact With Objects and Equipment
Contact with objects or equipment is filed if the alleged injury is caused by objects. Here are some scenarios:
- A tool falls on a construction worker
- A medical assistant is pricked by a needle
- A golf cart hitting a caddy
- A wall crushes a worker below it
- Truck parts fall on a mechanic in a truck repair business in Windsor
Prevention:
Faulty equipment and poor training are the primary culprits of these injuries. You may reduce these injuries by cultivating a culture of safety among your employees. Here are some ways to do that:
- Hire experts to review your safety procedures
- Make sure that all equipment is secure
- Require workplace safety training
- Limit loads on motorized vehicles to make sure that operators have a clear view
- Provide and instruct employees to use appropriate safety equipment
- Impose penalties if employees do not adhere to house rules around machinery, heavy equipment, and motorized vehicles
4. Transportation Incidents
Transportation incidents are deemed the most fatal of all workplace injuries. These are not limited to automobiles as these can also include aircraft, railways, bicycles, watercraft, and animals.
Making a claim of this nature can be tricky. There are policies that cover these types of injuries granted that these happened in the performance of the employee’s job such as when making deliveries or running errands. However, the employee can hold blame if the company vehicle was used for personal errands.
Prevention:
The first way to prevent transportation incidents is by hiring good and defensive drivers. Make it a habit to evaluate candidates using their motor vehicle records. Apart from that, these are some of the policies you can impose and improve:
- Testing for drug and alcohol
- Making seat belt use mandatory
- Implementing accident reporting protocols
- Mandatory vehicle maintenance
- Prohibiting cellphone use
- Giving rest breaks
- Submitting to periodic defensive driving training
5. Violence and Injuries Caused by Persons or Animals
There are some workplaces where people and animals can pose risks to employees. The possible scenarios can include:
- Violence in the workplace
- Animal bites and insect stings
- Self-harm
- Animal gorings, tramplings, and maulings
In most cases, the coverage of policies for these environments is limited to medical costs. If the injury is a result of self-harm, there will be no compensation to be made.
Prevention:
To make sure that violence in the workplace is prevented, here are some of the things that you can do:
- Develop an environment of safety — free of bullying, inappropriate remarks, and harassment
- Form a committee for resolving conflicts before they become bigger problems
- Train employees in handling animals and violent people
6. Exposure to Harmful Substances or Environments
Finally on our list of common workplace injuries is exposure to harmful substances. Like bodily reactions, most of the effects of harmful substances or environments build up through time. These exposures include:
- Extremely high or low temperatures
- Radiation
- Inhalation of chemicals
- Electrocution
- Loud noises
- Changing water or air pressure
- Oxygen deficiencies
- Traumatic events
The exposures can result in different health problems like frostbite, lung disease, heatstroke, and cancer.
Prevention:
There are possible injuries that fall under this category but avoiding them can be done through these:
- Wearing personal protective equipment like goggles, respirators, and face masks
- Maintaining proper ventilation in work areas
- Proper storage of chemicals and other risky substances
- Providing ear protection in noisy environments
- Providing water and rest breaks
- Providing warm shelters
Accidents can happen but they can be prevented if everyone will follow safety rules and standards. Visit my website and get more tips on preventing injuries and lessening compensation costs.