In 2014, falls represented the second leading cause of work-related injuries in the United States. They accounted for over 240,000 cases of occupational injuries requiring time away from work. Finding a way to reduce the number of slips, trips, and falls your employees suffer can significantly improve workplace safety.
Fortunately, there are simple tips to help prevent these types of injuries:
- Clear traffic areas of tripping hazards (loose objects, spills, electrical cords, debris)
- Ensure staircases are also clear of tripping hazards and have handrails on both sides
- Inspect all walkways and stairways periodically, and make repairs immediately when necessary
- Use step stools or ladders to reach objects, instead of standing on chairs, tables, or other furniture
- Encourage footwear with slip-resistant soles and even support
- Provide adequate lighting indoors and outdoors
Ladder Safety Tips
It’s important to abide by proper ladder safety at all times. Falls from ladders are a leading cause of fatal workplace injuries and 43% of all fatal falls in the past decade involved a ladder.
These ladder safety tips will help further mitigate the risk of fall-related injuries:
- Always inspect the ladder before use
- Maintain three point contact (two hands and one foot, or one foot and both hands) on the ladder at all times
- Place the ladder on a firm, solid surface
- Ensure all locks on an extension ladder are properly in place
- Always climb one rung at a time, facing the ladder
- Never climb carrying tools
- Avoid leaning or overreaching, position the ladder as close to your work as possible
Behind the Data
Educating yourself on health and safety data can be beneficial in occupational injury prevention. The Bureau of Labor Statistics highlighted five approaches to identifying the root cause of workplace injuries.
- Examining the Sequence of Events to understand what really happened and to help you accurately classify the injury
- Considering the Frequency of incidents to identify types of injuries that are more common and the nature of the injury
- Assessing the Severity of an injury, including the amount of first aid and time away from work required
- Looking at the Interaction of Circumstances surrounding an incident, which accounts for the source and potential secondary sources that may have contributed to the injury
- Identifying Contributing Factors, which can include age, time of day, and weather conditions that may have had an effect
Understanding these factors and the root cause that they reveal can help you to develop preventative strategies for common workplace injuries.
Let’s Get Started
Johns Eastern has all of the information to assist you in evaluating your organization and reducing your overall liability. To get hands on help getting started, contact your Account Manager at Johns Eastern today.
Data collected from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
