When I was growing up, my dad would tell cautionary tales of ways people had been injured by doing an everyday activity around the house.
He would remind me and my siblings about the dangers of falling down the stairs, electrocuting ourselves with a hair dryer, or leaning back too far in our chairs.
His stories grew to be legendary in my family. We started teasing him about having a scary anecdote for any daily activity a person could do.
The problem was, he wasn’t being paranoid. All his stories were true. And he knew about them because he received regular safety training for his job. He talked about falls so much because falls are a common cause of injury in the workplace and at home. In fact, a friend of mine just recently got a concussion from falling on her stairs.
We can’t remind ourselves too often about the importance of workplace safety procedures. These policies are especially necessary for jobs that carry a serious risk of injury.
What the Data Says
The CDC, OSHA, and other agencies found that in 2016, the top 10 most dangerous jobs in the U.S. included construction workers, EMTs, and trucker drivers. The list included professions you would expect, such as law enforcement, as well as ones you might not, such as farmers and veterinarians.
Other information indicates that both employers and employees under prioritize workplace safety. A survey by the National Safety Council (NSC) found that around one-third of employees in the U.S. believe their employers care more about completing projects than they do about protecting their staff.
Surprisingly, that number is even greater in high-risk industries where it is most important to take precautions. Sixty percent of construction workers believe that employers value task completion over job safety.
On the other hand, sometimes job seekers themselves ignore the importance of safety for the sake of a getting a well-paying job. In early 2016, SAFE Work Manitoba ran ads for fake jobs that were obviously unsafe. The ads were targeted at young people, and over 2500 interested applicants responded. The openings included a construction job that lacked proper safety equipment and a convenience store position that involved working alone overnight.
The point is that both employers and employees need to take workplace safety seriously. It might be tempting to keep quiet about potential hazards. You might worry you’ll appear as though you can’t handle your job. Or you might be reluctant to disrupt policies that have been around for a while.
But this hesitation could allow others to suffer serious harm. Both management and workers need to be proactive in preventing avoidable dangers in the workplace.
If an Injury Should Occur
You should plan what steps you’ll need to take if you do injure yourself at your job. If you wait till an accident actually happens, you’ll have a hard time making important decisions while in the middle of the stress and trauma caused by your injury.
For example, you might work in a field with a lot of hazards, such as in construction or the oilfield industry. You should learn ahead of time what your insurance does and does not cover based on your situation and where you live. While Workers’ Comp should cover your injuries (and even long-term medical care), what it covers varies by state.
And sometimes Workers’ Comp will not provide for every circumstance that could arise from your accident. For example, J. Reyna Law Firm says that “your claim may be denied, or your employer may contest your filing. For those in dire need of medical attention, such situations can make it extremely hard to get back to life as normal.”
That’s why it’s important to know ahead of time what you’re going to do if such an incident occurs. No matter what, if you experience a serious injury on the job, make sure you report it by calling 911. And don’t talk to any insurance company until you’ve contacted an attorney you trust.
Preventative Measures Employers Can Take
But the best action you can take is creating a safe work environment so that injuries or deaths don’t happen in the first place.
Establishing a safe work environment boils down to a few basic steps. You should make sure you have carefully thought out your procedures. Be certain that your employees actually follow those procedures. And reassess your policies on a regular basis. Thorough employee training and a healthy working culture are important aspects of your safety policy.
While it’s easy to say what companies need to do, there are still several mistakes organizations commonly make. Safety+Health Magazine identifies some widespread issues that contribute to hazards on the job.
Falls and Cleanliness
The first is the potential for falls. Fourteen percent of workplace fatalities in 2014 resulted from falls, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
To prevent such fatalities from happening at your company, you can hire a safety professional to evaluate where you need fall protection. You might need it in areas you wouldn’t expect. You should also provide and maintain the appropriate protection gear. Training employees regarding fall protection and regularly reevaluating your procedures is critical.
Another common workplace hazard is not keeping areas clean, especially places people would need to access in an emergency. For example, avoid using electrical rooms for storage. Or you might have something stacked so high that it blocks the emergency sprinklers that would come on in a fire.
Of course, messiness can also cause people to slip and fall.
Organization, Maintenance, and Usage
Another common problem is how people use extension cords. Companies often use them as a long-term solution instead of a temporary one. It’s common for businesses to “daisy chain,” meaning multiple cords or power strips are hooked together for one device. This usage can lead to overheating and potentially a fire. Along the same lines, it’s important to use the right gauge cord for the right job.
Extension cords are another a tripping hazard. Problems could also arise from people or machines wearing them down by constantly running over them.
Workplace injuries frequently happen when people are worried about completing a project on time. This pressure is a common cause of forklift accidents. Employees need to be properly trained, but also make sure you have enough forklifts and operators to complete tasks on time. Keep the machines in good working order, and keep them away from foot traffic.
Not only do you need to keep machinery in good condition, but you also need to preserve correct lockout/tagout procedures. This you can do by having strong safety rules and training and by constantly reevaluating your procedures.
A couple other cautions involve chemicals and confined spaces. Be extremely careful that you inventory your chemicals. Don’t lose track of them, and be cautious when transporting them. When working in confined spaces, make sure you have the appropriate permits and that you accurately assess the environment.
It’s also wise to listen to your employees’ input on your safety policies. After all, they are the ones closely interacting with them from day to day.
As Namir George of the NSC says, “‘If you don’t plan it correctly, you plan for a disaster.’”
What Employees Can Do
As an employee, one of the most important steps you can take for your own safety and for the safety of those around you is to speak up when you notice a hazard.
The NSC found that almost half of all employees working in health care or who were contract workers felt uncomfortable reporting safety issues. This is a warning to employers to encourage cultures where people feel safe speaking up. But employees are responsible as well. If you don’t say anything about a possible danger, you could be keeping silent about a life or death situation.
As an employee, be conscientious about your environment. Follow the policies your employer lays out regarding equipment and machine use. Don’t take shortcuts even if it isn’t apparent to you why you need to follow a certain procedure.
Use your own common sense for preserving a safe environment. Don’t push what you can physically handle when you could just as well use a machine to do your work.
And besides speaking up about dangers, you can go a long way toward maintaining workplace safety by taking care of yourself. Keep a healthy work/life balance, and try to minimize the amount of stress you carry around. When people get tired, they become sloppy and start making mistakes. Do what you can to rest well.
No Complacency About Safety
The Harvard Business Review has a sobering warning against complacency about workplace safety. Neil Swidey explains that injuries and deaths most often occur towards the end of projects for two reasons. One is there is pressure to finish the projects. Another is leaders start taking for granted that no one will get hurt.
At the beginning of a task, people have the most alertness and energy they will have during any point of working on it. But by the end of a project, it’s easy to think that because nothing has gone wrong so far, nothing will.
Referring to the deaths of three divers who had been involved with the construction of a tunnel, Swidey says that pressure and overconfidence had affected the project’s leaders. They were unable “to assess risk in any meaningful way.”
The dangers outlined in this post arise when people permit ignorance, fear, fatigue, stress, and laziness. By addressing these issues, you can protect yourself and your employees from serious injuries, and even death.
Jessica Mouser
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Now I know the importance of safety precautionary in the workplace. Your article helps to educate on what can cause potential hazards and read up on how you can safely prevent them from ruining your day. I was so sad about what happened to your dad.
For a work safety environment you need inspectors to check the work area. A good safe environment at work can make a difference in employee moral.
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Safety in any working environment should be of utmost importance. I deal with a lot of work related injuries over at our office, and they just keep coming. From simple slips due to wet floors to neck injuries sustained from improper harness, etc. All type of work related accidents you can think of. Employers should always make it a point to scrutinize all possible work hazards so they won’t have to deal with legal implications.
It is so hard to keep up with new hazards in workplaces. I have been following the cases of silicosis here in Australia. Workers cutting bench tops were completely unaware of the risks they were putting themselves in. I heard a woman on a radio interview saying she already lost one son to the disease and has a second son who has been diagnosed. It broke my heart. Something that could have been easily prevented if they had knowledge of the dangers involved. A lot of studies must be put into new materials to prevent such things. It is so unfair for people to go out, work hard and then get a death sentence for it
🙁
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Excelente artigo em se tratando do assunto segurança do trabalho, sou técnico em segurança aqui no Brasil e teu post vai auxiliar no repasse de informação aos meus clientes. A tua divulgação sobre essa matéria é de vital importância e alerta sobre a necessidade da segurança. Parabéns por compartilhar..
TRANSLATION: Excellent article in the subject of job security, I am a security technician here in Brazil and your post will assist in the transfer of information to my clients. Your disclosure on this matter is of vital importance and alert to the need for security. Congrats on sharing ..
Thanks for informing different reasons behind accidents in the workplace and the way one employee could handle it. Accidents in the workplace not only threatens the safety of the employees but also cause product loss. The warehouse is one of the worst places to work at. Accidents due to pallet collapse are very common and damaged pallets should be replaced with suitable substitutes to deal with such kinds of situations.
It is better to take precautionary measures at all times than regretting not being prepared. Helmets, harness or whatever tool a worker must have, he should have it. Companies should provide rather than requiring an employee to provide for himself. Every employee should also have a health insurance just in case something goes wrong, he will be protected.
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This article should be handed over to every company and organization. For them to read this is what can make a better workplace for employees.
Great article!
Things are pretty good in UK but I also travel a lot and standards are lacking in most countries!!
Keep up the great work
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Hi Jessica. This article is really great. And your dad stories … are today’s truths.
I am a construction pro and I know exactly how people are and behave on construction sites.
Unfortunatelly we need more training for workers within this industry … and I believe it’s a matter of settle examples really, because I can tell you that most accidents happen because people are irresponsible and don’t think about consequences … they just want to carry on with whatever they are doing.
And if you try to tell them the right thing to do … they will laugh at you, there is no time for that.
If a company has a manager that it’s not really safety concious and he doesn’t give example…than no one will follow.
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Prioritizing the safety of every employee is a must. This can increase the productivity in one’s work. Conduct a safety training for everyone to be updated on what to do in such cases.
Wow, safety in construction is one of the most trending topics right now! Thanks for a nice coverage!
Visit also our GenieBelt construction blog!
You’re welcome, Andrew! Thanks for reading.
I read the complete article and I like the article very much as it describes the complete safety measures that a user should take while working in a workplace. This is a must-read article for the workers and users too.
Thanks for sharing this important post with us.
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Thanks for reading, and you’re welcome!
Hi Jessica,
Really informative post. 🙂
Safety is the main concern in workplace. It doesn’t matter whether you are working in a construction site or in a office or anywhere else. Safety would always remain at the first place.
I like your blog as you posted very knowledgeable as well as informative post.
You are doing great work. Keep it up 🙂
Looking forward for more informative posts from you.
Preventative action is one of the most important things when it comes to safety! If you are looking ahead of injuries and accidents you are doing it right. Thank you for sharing!
It’s always important to stay on top of safety protocols. I love the point about staying on top of safety particularly at the end of projects. Everyone just wants to get done and forget to be as careful. Thanks!
Hello Jessica,
I have a construction blog and I have put together a mammoth list of safety tips that both employers and employees should observe in the workplace. I feel the tips might be of value to your readers. Please see them at: https://workhabor.com/construction-site-safety-tips/
Hi.. its great knowledgeable post. There is another safety app i.e. Fall detection app which is designed to help users to communicate easily without holding the phone in case of any injuries. This medical alert systems with fall detection will allow users to insert an emergency number to call whenever he/she falls below the waist level.
To download please visit for android
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.falldetection.android.falldetection
or for iOS
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/falldetection/id1228069539?ls=1&mt=8
Thanks for the info, and thanks for reading!
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It’s unfortunate how few companies truly care for their employees’ safety. But remaining informed is definitely the greatest safeguard of all. Thanks for sharing!
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You’re welcome, Heather. Thanks for reading!
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I remember that how to work in a construction company. I work 3 yr in construction company .This post help to prevent the hazardness in construction company . I Suggest my worker use the prevent tool during the any work.
I am glade that you are sharing such a safety article for workplace.I appreciate your writing skill and research work.
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Thank you!
hi Jessica Mouser,
you have written Article for who is working on construction company safety harness ,helmet is important thing when worker doing critical work .
this is important article for us thanks ,
regards,
Transit address
You’re welcome!
I remember vividly when i worked for a construction company some years back. I was known for being too quick to panic. I raise alarm to every single signs of hazard. Even though false alarm might not be regarded well, i still believe its better off keeping mute until the worst befell on us..
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I agree. That’s why it’s so important to have a culture where people feel safe speaking up.