Even in the most hazard-free work environment, injuries are bound to happen. Aside from causing physical pain and endangering people’s lives injuries cause other problems. For starters, the injured employee might have to take time off work, potentially delaying work operations. Also, either of them may decide to press charges for negligence or causing circumstances leading to the injury.
Be that as it may, here’s a short guide that can help a potential employer or a business manager minimize the chance of a work-related injury and all of its aforementioned downsides.
1. Know what you’re dealing with
There is a proverb which says that the first step in avoiding a trap is knowing one exists in the first place. With this in mind, it might be a good idea for you to know what are some of the most common work injuries out there.
According to a 2013 survey conducted by Safe Work Australia, about 17 percent of all injuries are muscle stress caused by heavy lifting. 16 percent are muscle stress that occurs while handling objects with no lifting involved. Interestingly enough, 5 percent of injuries are caused by muscle stress that doesn’t involve handling of objects.
Next, 20 percent of all injuries are caused by falls. Only about 5.5 percent of all injuries are caused by mental stress.
2. Different outcomes
Naturally, not every injury has the same outcome. Which is yet another thing that could potentially influence the future course of events. For example, some of the gravest injuries cause fatalities and critical injuries.
These are the ones caused by a major structural failure in the workplace (most commonly building or furniture piece collapse) or the release of hazardous. Furthermore, there are also minor injuries. Some of therse injuries are so insignificant that one can resume their work soon afterward.
Just to be sure, from both ethical and legal standpoint, it is best to report all injuries right away.
3. Looking for legal aid
A lot of business owners fear lawsuits that may be pressed because of these injuries. Even if they’re completely unfounded, they can sometimes damage the reputation of the business and cause a lot of bad press.
It might be for the best if you were to contact professionals, such as those from Adams & Co veteran compensation lawyers from Sydney and ask them for a few legal tips.
People who witnessed a plethora of similar cases first-hand can point out any irregularities or potential hazards in your business model, long before they become an actual legal problem.
4. Making a safer work environment
It would be ridiculous to assume there is nothing you can do in order to make your workplace much safer. In fact, there are many ways to improve the overall safety in your workplace, starting with hiring competent workers, training them properly and insisting on the safety in the workplace.
Just using post signs which alert workers to pay more attention to some areas of your workplace, can significantly increase the safety level.
Conclusion
As you can see, making your workplace safer is not only frugal, but also a humane thing to do. On one hand, it costs you just a bit more of effort, research and resources. This can save you quite a lot in the future. For instance, it can prevent your business from being driven into the ground by an expensive lawsuit. But more importantly, it could save someone’s life.
