Tag Archives: safe workplace

General Safety Issues

HOW ACCIDENT RECORDS AND STATISTICS HELP IMPROVE WORKPLACE SAFETY (GUEST POST)

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Written by Georgina Clatworthy

The cost of personal injuries that occur in the workplace is the second largest expense to any business. These costs include insurance premiums, health and safety measures to prevent injury, and payments made to employees that have been injured. For the benefit of company and employee, reducing the number of incidents that occur is always a top priority. 

While there are many ways in which you can improve safety measures around the workplace, the best way to make effective change is to use raw data. Our attorneys Charleston SC based advise that using accident records and statistics from your company, and those in similar industries, will help create a picture of what “really” takes place in the work environment and how to address those concerns.

Why “How It Should Be” And “How It Is” Can Be Very Different

Many businesses are surprised when someone is injured on the job when they believed all the correct safety measures were in place. The truth is, however, that what often makes sense on paper does not apply to the workplace situation. People are in fact only people, and when an event arises that poses a risk, each will react differently. It is nearly impossible to prepare for every contingency, which is why researching work accident data is so important to prevent further accidents.

  • Reviewing accident data: When you review accident data, you will be able to gain insightful knowledge of how the event occurred, even if safety measures were in place. You will be able to read the event from the employee’s perspective. The data provides you with useful information on how to change your safety standards or create additional employee training measures to avoid this type of event from occurring again.
  • Look at other industries: Utilizing information from other industries that are the same or similar to the business in question will also provide significant information. This data will provide an overall look at workplace events in a “real world” manner. This information is invaluable, and will provide the best source of knowledge to create a safe work environment.

Using Accident Records And Statistics Has Proven Very Successful

As more companies take the time to review this type of data, and use it for to their advantage, the overall amount of workplace injuries has decreased. In the last decade, the overall number of claims filed for temporary or permanent disability has dropped in regards to workplace events. This is very encouraging for both employees and businesses.  Employees that feel safe at work are more productive. When productivity rises, the business and the employees benefit in many ways. It is an overall good situation.

In the end, raw data provides the right type of information needed to create a safe workplace. This data may be as simple as showing a need for ergonomic office furniture to reduce lower back pain and carpal tunnel claims, or as important as showing a need for additional heavy equipment training. 

Use of this type of data has already shown a reduction in workplace related claims across every industry, which is beneficial to all parties involved. Reduced injuries and claims strengthen employee confidence and lowers operating expenses. 

Georgina Clatworthy is a legal writer interested in topics relating to personal injury and accidents.  She contributes this article on behalf of Howell and Christmas, a firm of attorneys Charleston SC based.  Workplace injuries can account for a large number of the total injury claims made across the USA every year.  Consulting with an experienced attorney, should an injury occur at work or somewhere else, will ensure you not only receive the damages you deserve but also that your rights are protected throughout the claims process.

 

General Safety Issues

ACCIDENT INVESTIGATIONS HELP SOLVE THE PUZZLE

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We recently talked about “human error” in the workplace.  Regardless of the reason behind an industrial accident, the failure of equipment, people, supplies, or surroundings to behave or react as expected is the cause of most of them.  Thousands of accidents occur throughout the United States every day.  By using information gained by an accident investigation, the why’s and how’s can be determined, and hopefully, prevent them from happening again. 

An industrial accident can cause extensive physical damage to a structure where the accident happened and injuries or death to workers involved in the accident.  This is the point where the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), steps in and conducts an investigation.  An OSHA inspection procedure is conducted, utilizing specialized investigation techniques.   The following information from OSHA explains the reasons for investigating an accident;  if any of the following four events take place:

  1. If there is an employee fatality during the accident;
  2. If there is a critical injury or sickness;
  3. If there is exposure to a serious toxic chemical or disease occurs;
  4. If there are more than three employees that undergo hospitalization from the accident. 

OSHA representatives will come to the site of the accident once receiving word of the event.  They will then do an initial report.  Accident investigations are more complex than other inspections, requiring a greater degree of technical and investigative skill than other types of programmed or non-programmed inspections.  They often require coordination between Federal, state, and local investigative entities.  Compliance personnel and employers are required to interact with the investigating authorities. 

The main goal of the inspection is to identify the causes of an industrial accident, which could lead to citations.  The inspection will not only reveal the causes, but the probability of hazards in surrounding areas, while creating an injury log and calculating the amount of time required for complete cleanup.  OSHA is also required to coordinate with the Bureau of Investigations if there is a fatality at the scene of the accident.  OSHA will contact family members of the employees involved in the accident to provide them with important information related to the accident. 

Another important technique that OSHA uses is interviewing witnesses that were present during the accident.  The representatives of OSHA do not conduct interviews until after they are familiar with the industry in which the accident occurred.  Then they will interview people who saw the event, those who have first-hand knowledge of the accident, and other witnesses who have information about the circumstances that led up to and preceded the accident.  The purpose of these interviews is not fault-finding, but rather fact-finding.  There will also be documentary evidence, photographs and videos, as well as diagrams, sketches and maps that better describe the work-site accident.   Depending on the results of the investigation, OSHA will cite the corporation or individuals involved in the accident, recommend criminal proceedings (if deemed appropriate), and create a detailed investigative report.

American workers and employers want safe and healthful places in which to work.  They want everyone on the job to go home whole and healthy each day.  Determined to make that dream possible, OSHA is committed to assuring, so far as possible, that every working man and woman in the nation has safe and healthful working conditions.  OSHA believes that providing workers with a safe workplace is central to their ability to enjoy health, security, and the opportunity to achieve the American dream.

 

Source: OSHA, Cal/OSHA