A Guide to Reducing Workplace Accident Rates from Kherkher Garcia

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Despite the fact that there are comprehensive safety requirements for specific industries that employers legally have to adhere to, accidents caused by human error can often still occur as risk factors are easily overlooked. As employers and workers rush to meet tight deadlines, they may fail to pay as much attention to their surroundings as they should. Alternatively, there might be hazards in the workplace that managers are simply not aware of.

Putting safety at the center of everything is key. Here are some concrete tips from Kherkher Garcia to preventing accidents in the workplace:

1. Keep work spaces clean and tidy.

While many might not consider cleanliness to necessarily be a deterrent to accident, in the workplace, order can definitely reduce the risk of injury. A cluttered work area is harder to navigate efficiently and employees are more prone to accidents. Ensure that workers adhere to a few simple rules, such as keeping computer cables and phone cords contained in desk cable organizers so they do not pose a tripping hazard.

Whether the work environment is an office cubicle or manufacturing warehouse, keeping work spaces clean and tidy reduces the risk of accidents. During an interview, Lawyer Marc. S. Albert explained that in many cases, accidents can be prevented by “precautionary practices.”

2. Install proper signage.

Employers have a duty to post legible signs informing workers of essential safety procedures.
The signs need to be installed in noticeable places where specific procedures are required to be
practiced.

3. Take vehicle maintenance seriously.

For employers that provide employees with company vehicles, it is essential that the vehicles are well-maintained and sent for servicing regularly. While regular vehicle maintenance might seem obvious, according to Bankrate, the cost of accidents resulting from inadequate vehicle maintenance practices broke the $2 billion mark last
year.

According to Philip Reed, Edmunds.com’s senior consumer advice editor, without regular maintenance, you could be using a vehicle that has 200,000 miles on the clock and giving yourself a false sense of security by thinking its only done 150,000 miles.

4. Report all accidents and dangers.

Most workers know their duties when it comes to reporting actual accidents, but it is also important for employers to encourage employees to report potential dangers to the head offices attention.

5. Invest in proper training.

All employees need to be sufficiently trained for the tasks at hand. This includes training them how to use business equipment and follow safety procedures while on task.

6. Provide the right equipment.

All workers need to be equipped with the proper tools and equipment for their jobs. Such equipment could include proper gloves, eye protection wear, safety harnesses, steel-toed boots, etc.  Under no circumstances should workers perform tasks without the right equipment.

7. Do not look for shortcuts.

Many accidents occur not because safety precautions were not known, but because individuals decided to take shortcuts to meet tight deadlines or because they were familiar with a task. A worker, for example, may start climbing without a safety harness if they only need to collect one item and know that putting on safety gear is time-consuming. A shortcut can be the difference between a minor scrape and a life changing injury.