If you’re looking for an accident prevention in the workplace program that provides a 100% guarantee that there will be no more accidents, you won’t find it. You will, however, find ways that greatly diminish the potential for accidents, as long as people follow the safety precautions suggested. Every year, according to the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, there are thousands of deaths from workplace injuries. How do you reduce the potential for these accidents? Here are a few simple ideas that help.
Clean the work area frequently.
Most accidents can be prevented. They often occur because something was overlooked. In an effort to meet deadlines, sometimes things are overlooked. Keeping the workplace clean sounds simple enough and should be part of the routine, but things happen and clutter builds. Clutter creates hazards. It could be something as simple as electrical cords that create a tripping hazard or empty boxes or boards causing obstacles that create a potential accident. Speed is important, but not as important as a clean safe environment.
Providing adequate on the job training can help reduce the potential for accidents.
If one of your team doesn’t know the proper way to work with a piece of equipment, it could spell disaster. Not only should training include an apprenticeship session, it should also include following safety procedures and being periodically checked to ensure they’re in practice. Knowing how to operate machinery safely reduces the potential for accidents. Employees also should be encouraged to report potential dangers and report accidents.
Discourage shortcuts that could lead to injury.
Whether it’s an experienced worker trying to get done a little faster or one who is new that doesn’t see the sense in taking the extra time for safety, always focus on safety first, even if it sacrifices time. Even improper lifting techniques or trying to lift something that requires two people to lift or extra tools or machinery to lift is a shortcut that causes many back injuries. Trying to finish a small overhead job without a safety harness is another example.
- Guidance from signage that demonstrates proper safety procedures should be prominently displayed in areas where they’re most valuable and relevant. It never hurts to remind employees with a good visual.
- Insist that your workers take breaks and avoid overexertion. Exhaustion causes sloppiness and that causes accidents. Everyone needs time away from the job to decompress and clear their head.
- It’s important to ensure that there’s adequate safety equipment and PPE. It’s important to have adequate fire extinguishers or emergency eye wash stations and ensuring they’ll be located in the area where they’ll most likely be used.
- Keeping equipment in good working order is essential for safety. Not only will it keep the business running smoothly, it will make the work environment safer and prevent downtime.
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