Did you know that each year, numerous workers sustain injuries that could have been prevented with the right precautions?
Statistics from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) show that in the UK alone, 561,000 workers experienced non-fatal injuries in 2022/23.
These injuries not only resulted in personal suffering but also led to significant business losses due to absenteeism.
Needless to say, workplace injuries can have a huge impact on business in a number of ways, from increased costs to weakened company culture.
To help you avoid these impacts in your business, here are five effective ways to help prevent common injuries in the workplace, ensuring a safer and more productive environment for everyone:
1. Implement Effective Safety Signage
Safety signage is one of the most crucial aspects of preventing workplace injuries. Proper signage can alert employees and make them aware of any potential hazards and the necessary precautions to take.
As an employer, you must provide safety signs in areas where there is a significant risk that cannot be mitigated in other ways. Here are a few tips on using effective safety signage:
- Colour-coding: Use the right colours to indicate the type of hazard or risk. Use red signs for prohibitions, blue signs for mandatory actions, and yellow signs for warnings and cautions.
- Visibility: Make sure signs are placed at eye level or around 78 inches high for maximum visibility for employees.
- Maintenance: Regularly check and maintain your business’ signs to ensure they remain effective and uncovered.
2. Use Anti-slip Matting
Slips, trips, and falls are the most common causes of workplace injuries – according to the LFS – and they account for over 30% of all non-fatal injuries.
However, these types of accidents are preventable with the right approach.
You should be using anti-slip matting, tape, and stair treads to help prevent these incidents as much as possible in your workplace environment. Here’s how to effectively use anti-slip materials:
- Entrance matting: Place these mats at the entrance of sites and doors to prevent water or mud from being tracked inside.
- Anti-slip tape: Apply anti-slip tape to stairs and other slippery surfaces to prevent accidents.
- Regular inspections: Regularly inspect and replace worn-out matting to maintain its effectiveness.
3. Establish Zone Classification
Effectively zoning your entire workspace can help manage hazards and improve efficiency, particularly in high-risk industries such as warehousing and construction.
Different zones will indicate to employees where there could be potential hazards and what these hazards are.
For example, there might be areas with potentially explosive materials that need to be identified with zone classification.
Here’s how to implement zone classification:
- Risk assessments: Conduct regular risk assessments to identify and correctly classify zones based on their hazards.
- Clear boundaries: Mark each zone clearly with barriers and signs to alert employees of the different risk levels.
- Correct procedures: Make sure employees are aware of the correct safety procedures to follow for each zone classification.
4. Maintain Good Housekeeping
Having good housekeeping is essential for preventing workplace injuries. Keeping your workplace clean and organized is a fairly easy solution compared to others on this list, yet it can significantly to reduce the chances of accidents.
There are several ways to implement this, but here are some key housekeeping practices:
- Spill management: Have spill-cleaning kits readily available to use, and ensure any spills are cleaned immediately before an accident can occur.
- Cable management: Cover cables and cords to prevent any tripping accidents.
- Organized storage: Use shadow boards to organize and store tools and equipment properly.
5. Provide Comprehensive Training
Another one of the best ways to prevent workplace injuries is training. Every business is likely to have some form of hazard or another, but having the right training in place can make all the difference when it comes to reducing the number of accidents.
Employees must be equipped with the right knowledge and skills to perform their tasks around the workplace environment safely. This also includes understanding the right safety protocols. Here are some training tips:
- Regular sessions: Conduct regular training sessions to keep safety protocols fresh in employees’ minds and updated to the current standards/compliance.
- Specific training: Provide specialized training for handling certain equipment, understanding safety signs, and operating machinery.
- Refresher courses: Offer refresher courses to ensure employees remain aware of safety procedures.
If you want to effectively prevent workplace injuries, it requires a proactive approach that includes effective safety signage, anti-slip matting, zone classification, good housekeeping, and comprehensive training.
By implementing these strategies, you can create a safer work environment, reduce absenteeism, and improve productivity in your business.
