Common Accidents in the Workplace

In this article we will highlight some of the most common accidents at work, and some tips to help you try and prevent them from occurring.

Slips, Trips and Falls

Slips, trips and falls account for one third of all personal injuries in the workplace.

These can lead to both minor and major injuries including broken bones, sprains, pulled muscles.

The key thing you can do to minimise the risk from slips and trips is to ensure good housekeeping.

This includes:

• Keeping entrances, exits and walkways clear from any trip hazards.
• Reporting any spills or trip hazards to the responsible person.
• Undertaking regular inspections of flooring and surfaces.

Manual handling injuries

Remember, manual handling is not just lifting. It includes putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving.

These can include muscle strains, trapped nerves and repetitive strain injuries.

Most of these injuries can be avoided easily by providing employees basic training on proper lifting techniques.

Being struck by falling objects

Objects falling onto workers can cause both minor injuries including cuts and bruising, as well as more serious injuries including concussion.

Keeping the storage of materials at height to an absolute minimum, and keeping any objects stored at height well away from the edges should minimise the risk of falling objects.

Falls from Height

Common causes of falls from height in workplaces including using faulty or inappropriate equipment (for example using a chair instead of a stepladder), and employees not having sufficient knowledge or training in working at height safely.

By providing suitable training and ensuring everyone uses the correct equipment, falls at height should be reduced.

Being struck by moving objects

Accidents resulting in crash and impact injuries appear frequently in organisations which use vehicles such as forklift trucks and other types of machinery.

Lack of or poor training, inadequate safety procedures and failing to use / wear proper protection are all causes of injuries from being struck by moving objects. Ensuring you enforce and input all of these common causes in place you can minimise the risk of injuries within your organisation.

We hope that these top tips have helped shed some light on how causes of common accidents can be easily rectified with a bit of time, clear communication and a positive health and safety culture.