Most Common Office (or non office) Injuries

SECURA did a nice blog post about the most common office injuries.  If we look at the major headings for the three areas, Trips & Fall, Overexertion, and Struck By Object, I would think it is safe to say that those categories apply to all industries.

I have been in insurance for 20 years, with most of that time having a focus on workers' compensation.  I have reviewed thousands of loss runs, and would tell you that the scariest occupations and most dangerous situations don't result in the majority of injuries.

I think there is some rationale as to why that is true.  If I am doing something I deem to be dangerous, I have a heightened sense of awareness.  The fight or flight instinct tells us that if we are working around a moving saw, or working at heights, or near extreme heat, we need to be careful.  As soon as we relax and walk away our brain goes into a rest mode, and we trip over something.

When the truly risk exposures do end up causing injury, it is when the worker has become accustomed to the risk, and let's their guard down.  As much as we worry about inexperienced operators, more often it is the worker who has been doing the job longer who gets careless.  Again, the instincts in the newer worker are helping him even though he has less experience with the task.

So how do we keep employees safe?  How can we keep them at a heightened sense of awareness?  As silly as it seems, safety posters could do a lot to promote vigilance.  If you meet with your staff every day, add a line to the agenda talking about stretching before lifting, or encouraging taking time to clean their work area to avoid accidents.  The injuries aren't caused by big things, and it won't take a big effort to raise awareness.

Specifically on lifting, nursing homes aren't the only place that need a formal lifting program.  If you haven't already done so, a document should be prepared, distributed, and posted with a formal plan.  The plan should identify what items specifically, or by weight, can be lifted alone, in tandem, or only with mechanical assistance.

Take some time to rethink employee safety, and find easy ways to emphasize that their safety is important.  Hopefully that will help avoid injuries that are costly, but preventable.