Five common workplace injuries

Depending on the type of job you have and the sector you work in, there can be a variety of different hazards in and around the workplace which you may be exposed to. Employers generally have solid health and safety measures in place, but despite this there are a variety of accidents that are commonplace across a multitude of workplaces. In 2014 the HSE recorded that there had been 78,000 injuries filed under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations and 629,000 injuries at work were recorded by the Labour Force Survey. Below we list some of the most common accidents at work which can occur no matter what industry you’re involved in: Slips, Trips, and Falls Wet surfaces can occur in any work setting – whether it’s an office lobby on a particularly rainy day or a warehouse floor where spillages haven’t been cleaned up in a timely manner. These will often lead to the sufferer falling and injuring themselves if common rules and regulations aren’t followed and can put the employer at risk of being sued, so it helps to be aware of surfaces you are walking on, any warning signage, and general conditions. Recent statistics show that accidents of this type occurred for over 35 per cent of employee injuries in 2014 and accounted for 29 per cent of injuries that lasted over seven days for the affected employees. Click on the image for our accredited Training Course. Burns Whether it’s a chemical burn in a laboratory, a result of overheated equipment in a shipyard, or as a result of hot oil in a busy kitchen, burns of varying degrees can occur across a variety of industries for a variety of reasons and with a variety of causes. This is one of the reasons they have become so common in the workplace and why treatments are a major part of any first aid kit. Click on the poster for further information. Musculoskeletal Injury With the growth in computer-related jobs over the past few decades, and more and more people finding themselves sat at a desk over the course of the working day, a growth in musculoskeletal injuries (MSD) has occurred. Whether it’s from typing or using a mouse, MSD can often affect a worker at a moment’s notice and occur due to constant repetitive motion of the joints, particularly in the wrist. This is one reason why regular breaks away from your computer are important. Click on the image for our accredited Training Course. Cuts While you may think cuts would only occur in a manual labour or kitchen setting, they can occur in any job environment. While these industries are obviously more open to accidents of this kind, and proper equipment training must be given to employees, they can be caused by everything from smashed glass in a retail environment to a paper cut in an office. Click on the First Aid Kit for more information on our kits that start from only £2.99! Falling Objects Whether it is objects falling from shelves, dropped by someone from height, or unsecured items on a worksite, serious injuries can occur as a result of items falling from height. As with most items on this list, proper training and preventative measures are often all that is needed to counteract them, and protective gear such as hard-hats can be imperative to employee safety. Click on the hats for our best selling PPE products.

For more information on Five common workplace injuries talk to Safety Services Direct Ltd