Tag Archives: injury free workplace

General Safety Issues

High Cost of Work-Related Injuries

Written by Mark Taylor

  • The fact that were around 2.8 million non-fatal workplace injuries reported by private employers in 2018 alone might come as a surprise. This is what figures released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Nearly one-third of these nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses resulted in days away from work. However, a large portion of work-related injuries also go unreported because those who are afflicted treat themselves at home or visit a nearby physician. The true numbers could be as much as two or three times greater.

This is just the tip of the iceberg as a closer look at the statistics published by the National Safety Council show. Every seven seconds, a worker is injured on the job, which means 510 injuries per hour, 12,600 per day and 88,500 a week. In 2017, in the US alone, there were 104 million production days lost due to work-related injuries. The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) reported that the cost of these injuries is estimated at $250 billion to $360 billion a year.

The first stages of injury usually go undetected, since the symptoms are mistaken for work-related fatigue, but later stages evidence pain that carries on into the next day, accompanied by an inability to perform work. According to experts at Jersey Rehab, people usually think that pain management is only necessary when they are suffering from persistent or chronic pain, but treatment also be provided for any sudden or acute pain.

  • The Usual Suspects
  • A look at the type of injuries will reveal the usual suspects. The broad categories of injury were muscle sprains and strains, soreness or pain and cuts and lacerations. A closer look reveals:
  • 8% injuries were caused by trips and falls
  • 26% were caused by being struck by an object, getting caught or crushed
  • 54% were caused by repetitive movements, such as lifting or lowering heavy objects
  • In the US, there is a high prevalence of back injuries, with roughly 25% workers complaining of back pain. The most common reason for back-related injuries are slips, trips and falls, besides lifting heavy objects, leading to absence from work for more than 7 days.
  • If you think work-related injuries are confined to work that requires physical effort, think again! Carpal tunnel syndrome is also prominent in the lineup of work-related injuries. Carpal tunnel syndrome affects roughly 1.9 million people, and 300,000 to 500,000 surgeries are performed each year to fix this common injury, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome can just as easily be caused by long hours at the computer, since it is likely to be caused by forceful gripping, repeated lifting of objects over 1 kg in weight and the vibration caused by handling power tools, according to research conducted by the National Institute of Health.
  • Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders

There is a name to these causes. Together, they are referred to as Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs). WMSDs usually result in muscle, tendon or nerve injuries. WMSDs are commonly associated with:

  • Fixed or constrained body positions
  • Continual repetition of movements
  • Force concentrated on small parts of the body (for example, hands and wrists)
  • Work pace that does not allow adequate rest intervals between movements

The best way to reduce workplace injuries is at the source. Unfortunately, not all workplaces are ergonomically designed to handle the various causes. Human factors, such as force applied, body position, work pace and repetition, need to be aligned to the workplace layout, selection of tools and implementation of safe work practices. And, given the high cost of work-related injuries, the short-term cost of making workplaces safer far outweighs the cost of treating the nation’s workforce.

General Safety Issues

5 Safety Tips to Keep Your Workplace Injury-Free

5 Safety Tips to Keep Your Workplace Injury-Free

In business, unplanned expenses are something that every business owner worries about. A workplace injury can become one of the reasons for such negative variance. Specifically in safety sensitive industries like construction, a safety violation resulting to serious injury or even death could cost the business its license to operate. Other minor workplace related injuries disrupt the operations of the unit concerned thereby affecting its KPIs.

It is Management’s responsibility to ensure a safe and injury-free workplace for all employees. Compliance to local, state, and federal laws require such. This also makes employees comfortable in the performance of their roles.

Here is a list of 5 safety tips to keep your workplace injury-free.

  • Keep your workplace clean all the time

    • A dirty or unclean work area is a health and safety risk for all its inhabitants, management and staff alike. Make sure to maintain a reliable cleaning company to perform periodic cleaning of your workplace. Also, make sure your company has sufficient cleanliness related personnel guidelines and that violations to these company guidelines are correspondingly acted upon with necessary penalties or corrective measures.

  • Apply Ergonomics and stick to it

    • Ergonomics being a scientific process of arranging your workplace, you should have faith on it and be consistent on its application.

    As a business person, you will undoubtedly want to grow your businesses profit margins, to do better against KPIs and to increase consumer confidence. For David Rowland, Head of Marketing at Effective Software, there is one effective way to do this: though more effective health and safety policies.

  • Provide proper lighting

    • It is said that the incidence of injuries in well lighted environments are less compared to those with poor lighting. And you wouldn’t want your management team and the rest of the staff to acquire eye related problems or worse go blind, right?

  • Educate everyone about workplace safety and workplace injury prevention, management and staff including your utility and maintenance crew alike

    • Ignorance of the safety guidelines is a risk which could impact anyone or everyone in the workplace. You must invest on this and make sure training is backed by a comprehensive set of personnel guidelines for strict implementation.

    Often, what spells the difference between a safety violation or injury is the lack of strict implementation and not the absence of guidelines to implement.  Make management responsible for their personnel by cost or profit center, thereby multiplying your implementation monitors and heightening the sense of responsibility. Make sure sufficient documentation is in place and have someone take long term responsibility for its maintenance and safekeeping.  You may opt to certify your company with OSHA/HSA/HSE as applicable. These organizations were set-up with the objective of protecting people in the workplace or job sites. In some industries the OSHA/HAS/HSE are required rather than optional.

  • Perform audits to keep everyone in check

    • There is a valid reason behind safety audits, that is why you should also implement this in your company. And in most states and countries, such is a requirement by law. It is important that your auditors are certified and trained to ensure this process will work. Remember always that the key to safety is the continual inspection and maintenance.

    By now you do not only know that you are responsible for everyone’s safety in your company, but you also know how to ensure this happens consistently without miss.  Positive reinforcement as a form of behavioral training can work in this exercise. Some companies provide extra bonuses for cost or profit centers with zero safety violations. You might want to ponder on this and include in your management and/or safety budget next year.