Workplace Accidents
Did you know 106,260 serious worker’s compensation claims were lodged in 2016-17? That’s nearly double the number of claims lodged in 2014.
Contrary to popular belief, you are just as likely to have a workplace accident if you work in an office or the community sector as a labourer or in the construction industry.
What are the two common mechanisms for workplace injury?
Body stressing (37%), followed by falls, trips and slips (24%).
Body Stress
If you work in the same position and perform manual handling or repetitive motions, you may be at risk. Common types of injuries can include:
- Spinal injuries
- Knee/shoulder strains
- Sprained wrists/elbows
- Musculature
Ask yourself these questions:
Do you often lift or move heavy objects?
Do you always have to bend and turn?
Do you work in a cramped position?
Do you repeat motions?
Do you work in one position?
Manual handling is any activity that involves moving, lifting or lowering an employee. It may also include long-term awkward postures and repetitive motions, which can lead to body stress injuries if not prevented by taking preventive actions such as ensuring employees have training on how best to handle these situations so they don’t get hurt in the first place!
It’s important for teams that do a lot of manual, laborious work like construction projects (or anything involving tons of heavy equipment) to make sure everyone knows what precautions need to be taken.
Slips, Trips and Falls
If you work in an environment with hazards such as cables or tools, wet floors, machinery or large objects in your work area, you may be exposed to a higher risk of injury. Common types of injury include:
- Bruises and cuts
- Dislocations and bone fractures
- Strained muscles or ligaments
- Sprained joints
Ask yourself these questions:
Is my workplace cluttered?
Are there objects in walkways?
Are you constantly picking things up and putting them away?
Are welfare facilities messy?
Do you work on an uneven surface?
Do you work near exposed edges?
You may be working in an unsafe area if you answered yes to any of the above. Hazards are the things that can cause injury, where risk is the likelihood of it occurring. If you are working on an uneven surface cluttered with tools or cables, then the likelihood and risk of an injury occurring increases.
Some preventative actions you can take to prevent slips, trips and falls include:
- Maintain a clean and tidy workplace
- Use containers for tools and objects
- Utilise signs to identify hazards, such as wet floors or exposed edges
- Implement a safety system to protect workers from the risk of falls
- Barricades or tape can restrict access from unauthorised or unqualified personnel
In 2016-17, by nature of the injury, 41% were traumatic joint, ligament and muscle-tendon injuries, followed by 16% musculoskeletal and connective tissue diseases.
By ensuring that your workplace has the correct safety management system, you can actively implement controls to reduce hazards and decrease risk.
At 3CIR, we offer a range of courses in Work Health and Safety, Security and Risk Management, Human Resources, and Quality Auditing. These courses can help ensure the safety of you and your colleagues at work.
If you are a current or former military personnel, contact us today to find out about our Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) service to fast-track your new career today.
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