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How To Avoid Workplace Incidents

By California Business Journal Editorial Staff

It is unfortunate, but accidents and injuries are common, and even typically, office-based businesses have staff-related incidents that arise.

Obviously, you want to protect your staff from a personal point of view, but also from a business standpoint, as workplace injuries and accidents can be costly for all parties.

You do not want an employee to miss time and take legal action against the company, so read on for a few tips for preventing workplace incidents that will hopefully help.

Carry Out Risk Assessments

A risk assessment

should be carried out by a specialist in order to identify what the main risks and hazards are in the workplace. You can then get to work eliminating or mitigating these issues to cre-ate a safer work environment for you and your team.

Use Staff Training

Many accidents and injuries occur due to a lack of training. You need to ensure that staff are fully trained for their role and know what risks there are and how these can be managed with the tasks they are responsible for. Regular training can also help to keep messages fresh in people’s minds and stop people from becoming complacent.

Perform Regular Equipment Maintenance

Another common reason why accidents occur is due to faulty equipment/machinery. Therefore, you need to make sure that staff are trained in how to use this equipment and that regular maintenance is carried out. You can use preventative maintenance to keep equipment working as it should and to avoid any issues arising that could put staff in danger.

Enforce Regular Breaks

Regular breaks

while working are important and not only to prevent fatigue and burnout. Many inju-ries occur from staff overexerting themselves physically, and even being sat in front of a computer for too long without a break can lead to a range of injuries that could lead to time off. Regular breaks give staff the chance to rest, recover and recharge and will help to keep morale high.

Make Communication A Priority

You need to make sure that it is easy for your staff to come forward if they have any kind of concerns or questions relating to safety. In addition to this, any small accidents or near misses should be re-ported to make improvements moving forward.

Arrange Workers Comp Insurance

Finally, it is important to get a workers comp insurance quote and find the best policy for your needs. This will provide you and your staff with a safety net in case of a workplace injury. Workers comp can cover the costs associated with these injuries (which can be very high), such as current and future loss of wages, medical expenses, retraining, and employers liability if a lawsuit is filed.