Top Ten Causes of Accidents in the Work Place
Accidents are part of life and sometimes are uncontrollable and cannot be prevented. In as much as so much effort is put in ensuring that there is a secure and comfortable workplace, sometimes accidents are inevitable. Below are some of the top ten causes of accidents in the workplace
a. Fatigue that result from tiredness.
b. Anxiety and work related stress
c. Distractions
d. A hazardous work environment
e. Lack of personal safety equipment or instructions
f. Boring routinely motions or movements
g. Use of alcohol at the workplace
h. Violent behavior among employees
i. Incorrect workplace design
j. Incorrect work
It is always said that it is better to prevent an accident than to cure it and the workplace can be made accident free or the number of accidents can be reduced if precaution is taken. To ensure that happens, it is always wise to create a conducive environment for working and communicate to employees all that is expected of them is as far as their safety is concerned. Below are some of the steps that can be taken to reduce the number of workplace accidents;
a. It is always wise to draft a company formal safety policies or procedures that will detail the steps that can be taken so as to prevent accidents. That will include instructions that explain how employees are expected to go on with their work schedule, and if they are to follow that, then cases of accidents will have been reduced.
b. It is always wise to have somebody put in charge of safety in the workplace. The company or organization can have an overall safety coordinator who is supposed to ensure that all safety precautions are taken seriously (Schultz & Schultz, 2003). Their duties will include safe storage of materials and equipment and that ensuring that the employee workstations are correct and adequate.
c. It is also wise that the employer communicates their expectations for a safe and conducive work environment (Stellman, 1998). It is good that the staff is told on a regular basis, the major safety concerns of their organization. That includes among other things, ensuring that they do not come to work while intoxicated or get intoxicated in the workplace. That can be done verbally or through memos.
d. Another good way to go about work safety is that employers inspect their facility on a regular basis to ensure that areas that are of concerned are fixed at all times (Reese, 2011). That way the management will be well aware of the areas of concern.
e. It is responsible for the employers always to have the right tools availed to the employees so as to avoid instances where they have to improvise tools (Stellman, 1998). For instance, if employees are expected to use high shelving, there should be a strong ladder to climb. Employees should not be made to climb using improvised climbing equipment such as boxes of office furniture.
f. Proper housekeeping or a well-kept work environment can go a long way in preventing accidents. It is advisable that workplaces are inspected and kept clean so as to avoid any toppling, slipping or tripping (Mlam- Perez, 2003). All workplaces should be assessed with a keen eye, paying a lot of attention to the layout to ensure that it is not only clean but also well maintained.
g. It is good that the employers invests in first aid training for their employees or even have a first aid kit. (Reese, 2011). First aid knowledge will go a long way in helping employees attend to injuries when they happen to prevent the accident from getting out of control. A first aid kit may not help prevent an accident, but it can be used to prevent a minor accident from becoming fatal.
References
Mlam- Perez, L. A. (2003). HR How- to: Work Place Safety, Everything You Need to Know to Ensure a Safe and Healthy Work Place. Chicago: CCH
Reese, C. D. (2011). Accident/Incident Prevention Techniques. 2/e. New York: Taylor & Francis
Schultz, D. & Schultz, E. S. (2010). Psychology and Work Today: An Introduction to Industrial and Organizational Psychology. 10/e. New York: Routledge.
Stellman, J. M. (1998). Encyclopedia of Occupational Health and Safety. 4/e. Geneva: International Labor Office
