All too often, employees are injured on the job. Not only is this tough on those who are injured, it is also tough for the companies they work for. When employees are injured, they are often out of work for long periods of time. So they are not earning their full wages and the companies must replace these employees temporarily.
Even though workplace accidents are commonplace, it can be quite easy to avoid them and not become injured. The trick is to know how to avoid accidents and injuries. Here are 10 workplace safety tips that every employee (and employer) should know.
1. Know the Risks
There are some jobs that are going to come with certain risks. It is important that you understand these risks before taking on a certain job. Then, you will be better prepared to take the proper steps to avoid a work-related injury, especially if you are working with dangerous equipment.
2. Reduce Stress in the Workplace
Many people don’t realize that workplace stress can lead to work-related injuries as well as illness. Things that can cause workplace stress include working too many hours, having too much of a workload, insecurity in your job, and conflicts with bosses and coworkers.
3. Take Breaks
It is important that you take breaks as they are scheduled, and even more often if you are able. This is going to help you to stay alert, and that will help you to avoid stress and injuries. Try to schedule the toughest tasks for the times in the day when you have the best concentration levels, such as first thing in the morning.
4. Be Careful When Lifting
If your job involves heavy lifting, moving heavy items around, etc., make sure that you are doing the work properly. Use the right equipment, ergonomically designed furniture, and make sure things are within easy reach.
5. Use Mechanical Aids
Mechanical aids are there to help you, so take advantage of them. Use conveyer belts, cranes, forklifts, wheelbarrows, etc. to do the heavy lifting for you to avoid injuries on the job.
6. Check out Safety Resources
It is always a good idea to check out tips on various safety resources from time to time. There may be new information available that can help you stay even safer in the workplace. Some of the safety resources include:
- National Safety Council
- Arbill
- SafetyWorks
- Risk Assessments for plant and equipment
- Occupational Safety & Health Administration
- Construction Safety
7. Know Your Surroundings
It is important to know your surroundings in the workplace so you can assess any possible risks. Once you know where hazardous areas are, you can potentially avoid hazardous situations. Be careful around machinery as well, as inattention can lead to serious injuries.
8. Keep Good Posture
When you are working, make sure that you keep good posture. This is going to help keep you from having a lot of back, neck, and shoulder pain, and help to avoid back injuries.
It is easy to stay in perfect posture. Simply shrug your shoulders, move them back, and then drop them, and you are in perfect posture.
9. Have Accessible Emergency Exits
If there ever is an emergency, you need to know that all emergency exits are easily accessible. Make sure that you know all escape routes from the building and that there is no equipment or anything else blocking these exits.
10. Report Unsafe Conditions to Management
It is imperative that your supervisors are aware of any unsafe conditions in the workplace. It is their job to correct these issues, but if they are not aware of them, nothing will get done. The more they know, the safer your workplace will be.
Featured photo credit: skeeze via pixabay.com
