Nearly 12,000 people suffer from minor or major injuries because of a trip or slip at work. Figures collected over the last decade indicate that the number has not dropped any further.
Below, B&S Printing discusses some of the common causes of these accidents and their prevention strategies:
Flooring
Poor quality flooring ranks top among the major causes of accidents in the workplace. Wet floors pose a significant risk of slipping, while worn out carpets can trip anyone easily. It is important to minimise the risks that stairs and floors pose in your organisation. An effective way of ensuring safety on stairs is fixing a handrail that people can hold on while ascending or descending. Floors, on the other hand, should be clearly marked to indicate the raised areas.
Cleaning
You should arrange for floor and wall cleaning when no employee is in the building. If you have to clean any part of the building during normal hours, you have to indicate using special signs.
Footwear
The footwear you use should depend on the job that you are working on. In environments where the floors are always wet or uneven, you need to wear shoes with deep treads to prevent slipping.
The peace of mind you will have when you are sure all hazards in a high-risk workplace are controlled is invaluable. It means everything to the employees.
Many activities within industries are dangerous and employees need a reminder of the risks associated. The Take 5 Safety Card features five easy-to-understand instructions that you can complete in less than 5 minutes. The processes indicated on the Take 5 Safety Card are:
- Stop – Think before you act
- Look – Identify possible hazards
- Assess – Think of the damages that can be caused by these hazards
- Manage – Implement controls and inform others
- Safely – Complete the task
If you follow these steps, you will not only save a lot of time, but also ensure safety.
