Reducing Accidents and Injuries in the Workplace

The type of work you do very much determines the type of risks you will be susceptible to in your occupational environment. A chef may run the risk of burns while a scaffolder may run the risk of broken bones. An office worker is more likely to face milder risks but the long term effects whether physical or mental could be just as devastating.

The recurrences of the most common accidents within a working environment are constantly monitored and there is a range of common accidents and injuries which occur across all occupational sectors. Invariably, year in - year out, trips and falls are at the top of the table which ever occupation you are in is.

Statistics from 2007/08 suggested that accidents described as slips or trips accounted for almost four out of every 10 major workplace injuries. In a similar national survey statistics for the same time period showed that the most common ‘over-three-day injury’ was caused by handling, lifting or carryingr
A devastating 34 million work days were lost because of workplace-related accident or illness. Of these, 6 million were due to injuries within the workplace while 28 million were ‘work-related’ ill health days. Again, the most commonly cited workplace hazards involved in accidents/illness were manual handling, sitting for long periods and the handling of harmful substances.

It is easy nowadays to see the ever-present beacon of health and safety as irritating red tape but you only have to wonder what the statistics would be if we did not respect the guidance advice and processes set down by health and safety standards. Not only does the presence of health and safety standards prevent distress and fatalities, it also ensures the organisations costs are reduced through sickness, absence from work and litigation.

As employees we constantly grumble about the frequent round of mandatory training such as manual handling, First aid etc, that we often forget how effective this training is. In a wider sense a wise business manger also ensures his employees are not only aware of hazards within the workplace but encourage them to follow health and safety training itself. As well as being intrinsic to a heightened awareness of risks within the workplace (and therefore employees can support each other) it can also lead to a lucrative career. The most well know
Health and safety training courses are presented by NEBOSH who offer training in all areas up to the NEBOSH National diploma.

The good news is the UK is leading the pack as far as progress goes. Recently the government set new targets under the Revitalising Health and Safety initiative and the latest available figures show that the rate of both fatal and over-three-day accidents in the UK is substantially lower than in most other EU countries.