Accidents at work can cause serious or even life-threatening injuries and conditions. As an employer, you have a duty of care to establish safety procedures and provide a safe working environment for your employees.
While most employers in California take the safety of their employees seriously, accidents still occur on a daily basis. In fact, research has shown that every seven seconds, a worker is injured on the job. Here we’ll talk about some of the most common workplace injuries in California:
1. Lifting
Lifting incorrectly is one of the most common causes of workplace injuries in California. On average, 56,000 individuals per year are injured while trying to lift a heavy object at work. This can lead to them suffering from shoulder, neck, and back injuries. Employers who don’t teach employees how to lift correctly could be held liable for this type of injury.
2. Falls from Height
Falls from height are a common cause of workplace injury. One way in which employers and employees can prevent this type of accident from occurring is by paying close attention to the environment around them.
Business owners should also consider purchasing special safety equipment to keep their employees safe. There are lots of options available, such as harnesses or a Confined Space Rescue System. This Confined Space Rescue System from Pelsue is not only built to stop potential falls, but it can also be used to create a barricade and raise and lower employees and equipment. Using this system can help keep your employees safe and it can protect your business against any expensive legal claims.
3. Slips, Trips, and Falls
Slips, trips, and falls can happen almost anywhere, but when they happen to an employee while they’re at work, it’s your responsibility. Approximately 30,000 people are injured annually due to a slip or trip at work.
Slips, trips, and falls can occur for several reasons, including liquid spilled on the floor or a messy workspace. Making sure the workplace is free from potential hazards will help to prevent these types of accidents from occurring.
4. Repetitive Motion
This is another common cause of workplace injury in California. This type of injury (otherwise known as repetitive stress injury) can cause temporary or permanent damage to the tendons, nerves, muscles, or ligaments. Approximately 31,300 people suffer with this type of injury each year.
5. Contact with Equipment
In most cases, these types of injury occur when an employee is struck by a piece of equipment, caught between the equipment or an item of equipment falls on them. Most of these injuries are traumatic and can lead to life changing injuries for the employee. In fact, most employees who are involved in this type of accident end up with a permanent disability.
Businesses who want to prevent these types of accidents from occurring in the workplace need to train their employees on how to use apparatus safely. They also need to remind employees that they must concentrate fully while using the equipment. Distraction is one of the most common causes of injuries when using equipment.
All employees need to be taught to follow safety procedures when working with dangerous apparatus. They also need to be provided with the correct safety gear, including steel-toe capped boots and hard hats.
Another way to prevent these accidents from occurring is to perform risk assessments on a regular basis to check for potential safety hazards. If any hazards are found, they should be eliminated.
6. Laceration Injury
A laceration injury is when a worker is cut, punctured, or scraped while at work. This injury can affect the ligaments, nerves, muscles, blood vessels and bone. This type of accident can have life-changing implications for an employee. And it’s not much better news for the employer either, as employers can be liable for this type of injury too. In fact, the cost of treating a laceration injury can run into thousands of dollars.
7. Falling Objects
Thousands of employees in California are injured each year when a heavy object falls on them. Make sure that all heavy objects are stored at floor level to prevent large objects falling onto one of your employees.
8. Pushing and Pulling
Pushing and pulling is the third most common injury at work in California. Approximately 22,000 people are injured at work because of this. Most of these injuries occur in warehouses, factories, construction sites, and shipping sites. Like with most other accidents, companies can he held liable for this type of injury if the injury was caused by unsafe working conditions. Even though employers have a duty of care to ensure their employees are safe while at work, accidents still occur daily.
