Accidents can happen anywhere, including at home and in the workplace. You can slip, fall, run into objects or be struck by them, end up with strains and sprains from lifting or moving something too heavy, or suffer serious injury and even death from exposure to power sources or accidents with machinery.
So how do we prevent these kinds of accidents? Education regarding potential dangers, experience with near-misses, hearing about hazards from others, and the observation/awareness of perilous circumstances can all go a long way toward keeping us safe. And whether you realize it or not, you often carry out risk assessments before making decisions about many situations in life, wherein the favorable outcomes of a particular course of action are weighed against the possibility of harm or negative consequences.
In the best companies, safety is one of the major considerations when making decisions and establishing policies and practices. These companies measure the risk involved in certain practices or processes, then decide whether the risk is acceptable and determine how any risks can be mitigated. According to Liberty Mutual Insurance’s quarterly newsletter of July 2014, the number of accidents and deaths in the workplace has dropped almost 25 percent since 2006, while the number of injuries suffered at home has remained at the same level.
If your company wants to put safety first and protect your employees, it’s necessary to institute methods for measuring risk, procedures for reducing risk to acceptable levels, and programs of education and support to help and encourage employees to use safe practices. To find out more, reach out to one of our experts by filling out the short form below.