Workplace Injuries
Most people have accidents every now and then. Injuries can range from small incidents, like minor cuts, bruises and grazes, to major ones, resulting in serious head injuries, knee injuries or chest injuries.
Workplace injuries can have a big impact on your business, whether it’s due to reduced productivity, lost sales, lower staff morale, or even closure.
If a worker is injured during the course of their employment, they’re entitled to make a workers’ compensation claim. Accidents usually need to be recorded in an accident log for insurance purposes. It’s the employers responsibility to ensure that all employees understand their rights and responsibilities relating to workplace accidents.
Under state laws, an employer must also report certain events, such as death, serious injury or a dangerous incident that could have caused death or injury. Under these laws the employer must also take reasonable steps to provide an injured worker with rehabilitation or suitable duties while being paid compensation.
According to OSHA every day, more than 12 workers die on the job – over 4,500 a year.
Every year, more than 4.1 million workers suffer a serious job-related injury or illness.
TOP 10 MOST COMMON WORKPLACE INJURIES:
Overexertion Injuries
Slipping/Tripping
Falling from Heights
Reaction Injuries
Falling Object Injuries
Walking Into Injuries
Vehicle Accidents
Machine Entanglement
Repetitive Motion Injuries
On the Job Violent Acts
As reported recently by the US Department of Labor, the Top 10 most frequently sited OSHA standards violated in 2014 (October 1, 2013 through September 30, 2014) include:
Fall protection
Hazard communication standard
Scaffolding, general requirements
Respiratory protection
Powered industrial trucks
Control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout)
Ladders
Electrical, wiring methods, components and equipment
Machinery and Machine Guarding
Electrical systems design, general requirements
Know Your Rights!
Under federal law, you are entitled to a safe workplace. Your employer must provide a workplace free of known health and safety hazards. If you have concerns, you have the right to speak up about them without fear of retaliation. You also have the right to:
*Be trained in a language you understand
*Work on machines that are safe
*Be provided required safety gear, such as gloves or a harness and lifeline for falls
*Be protected from toxic chemicals
*Request an OSHA inspection, and speak to the inspector
*Report an injury or illness, and get copies of your medical records
*See copies of the workplace injury and illness log
*Review records of work-related injuries and illnesses
*Get copies of test results done to find hazards in the workplace
Despite your best intentions, workplace accidents and injuries will happen. That’s why it’s important to:
Keep a well-stocked first-aid kit on the premises and make sure employees know where the kit is and how to use it. Have employees take a CPR and First Aid class.
CPR and First Aid class
Texas CPR www.texascpr.com, can come to your location for training. Call Jennifer Khonsari at 214-770-6872. Simple injuries such as cuts and puncture wounds can lead to infection if not properly treated right away, keeping employees out of the workforce for a significant time.
Keep an accident report log. No matter how insignificant workplace accident and injuries seems to be, recording information about the date, time, cause and treatment of the accident will help you in the future in case there is ever a workers’ compensation claim or question. Make sure employees know where the accident log is kept and what information they need to record, so you can get the data down no matter who’s present when an accident happens.
United States Department of Labor
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
OSHA
Texas CPR Training, LLC