The 5 Most Common Workplace Injuries
For many of us our job can be strenuous enough without it also causing physical harm to us. Due to a growing amount of concern in health and safety, workplace injuries are falling. However, that doesn’t mean you still shouldn’t keep your eyes out for dangers. Even the average office is still prone to hazards. Here are five of the most common work injuries and how to avoid them.
Slips and falls
One of the most common workplace injuries is slips and falls. If these cause serious enough damage, they can be enough to warrant a personal injury lawsuit. There’s not much you can do to protect yourself other than to keep your eyes peeled. Making sure that appropriate health and safety precautions are in place can also help others from getting injured (or protect you yourself from being sued). This may include placing wet floor signs when mopping, removing obstructions from walkways and tucking away cables.
Falls from heights can also be a potentially deadly danger in some jobs such as construction or window cleaning. Having someone to support a ladder for you and paying close attention to supports such as securing carabiners could save your life. Be aware that in high rise situations, you should be expecting some form of danger pay.
Repetitive strain injury
Repetitive strain injuries are caused by doing the same action over and over again. This could be anything from carpal tunnel in the wrist as the result of painting with a roller brush or back problems as the result of bad posture from sitting over a desk. Doing regular stretches can prevent repetitive strain injuries from taking effect. There may also be other solutions, as with the case of sitting at a desk where you may be able to raise the monitor or buy a standing desk or simply take regular walking breaks.
Lifting heavy items can also cause back injuries to set in, especially as the result of an incorrect lifting technique. Make sure that you’re bending at the legs and not bending your back.
Inhaling toxins
You could have to deal with toxins in your job that may require wearing protective equipment. This should always be supplied and training should always be given. One common type of poisoning is asbestos exposure which may be experienced by construction workers breathing in shards of the material in the air. This material has been banned in many countries for causing a cancer known as mesothelioma. Hiring a qualified mesothelioma attorney could allow you to get compensation if you are diagnosed with such a condition (80% of mesothelioma cases can be attributed to asbestos).
You should also check that your workplace has other health and safety precautions in place such as a carbon monoxide monitor for keeping on top of leaks, as well as ventilation or an extractor fan to deal with other toxins. Mould should be dealt with efficiently and air conditioning units should be regularly cleaned out to stop bacteria building up that could cause the likes of Legionnaires.
Cuts and lacerations
Safety equipment may not be possible for some equipment such as drills and electronic saws where careful training may be the only solution. You should always ensure that you are trained to use every machine correctly to avoid injury. Cuts and lacerations could be fatal in some cases. Of course, if training is not given, you are liable to pursue a lawsuit if you have an injury.
Loud noise exposure
Some environments such as nightclubs or car racing events or building sites may expose you to unhealthy amounts of noise. These could be gradually causing hearing loss. Protective gear such as ear mufflers or earplugs should always be given out to employees to prevent such hearing loss. There may be other measures in place, such as a nightclub keeping music to a certain decibel limit or the purchase of low-noise machinery. Like other work-related injuries, you can usually file a lawsuit claim against an employer that leads you to develop hearing loss.
