4 common workplace safety hazards
Safety audits are conducted across the globe by the National Safety council. Each helps them assess potential risks and present hazards to help keep employees from harm. From the data collected in these studies, there are four common safety hazards that employers and employees should be aware of.
1.Working with Heights
Heights themselves are hazard. However, the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that fall accounted for 14% of workplace fatalities in 2014. OSHA points to scaffolding and ladders are frequent violations, lacking proper safety restraints and equipment.
Employers may not utilize fall protection, like nets, or provide the proper equipment that can protect employees from high falls. Workers should also be hooked up to a system designed to slow or stop a fall altogether. Proper training for all of the above is vital, as well.
2. Forklifts
Forklifts themselves are not dangerous, but employees who feel compelled to work as fast as possible are. When production is placed over safety, the speed at which workers use a forklift can lead to a variety of accidents.
Driving with too large of a load can cause the lift to fall over, driving too fast leads to employees getting run into or run over, and slamming into a warehouse rack can cause all sorts of damages. Proper training is essential when forklifts are involved, which some employers fail to do altogether.
Keep in mind that forklifts are vehicles. If you’ve been hurt as the result of employer or employee negligence, hire a car accident lawyer to assess your situation and get the legal help you need to fight for your compensation.
3. Chemicals
It should come as no surprise that chemicals pose a safety hazard even with the most stringent of policies in place. Not only are improper use scenarios a hazard, but companies leaving chemicals on the shelf pose an even higher risk.
As time goes on and chemicals go unused, they become a forgotten shelf item. Some can degrade into explosive peroxide, while others increase in acidity with oxidization. Marking expiration dates and keeping a close eye on inventory is vital to avoiding these hazards. Always safely dispose of chemicals that are no longer needed or expired.
4. Confined Spaces
Hazards with small spaces typically stem from a lack of proper permits or risk assessments. Fires can easily break out and spread, workers become stuck in drains, and sudden turns can lead to lacerations. Those are just two examples of thousands.
By utilizing risk assessments, employers can accurately gauge dangers. With permits, employees are educated on the dangers posed by these confined spaces. Together, employers can create strict policies for risks while employees can carry them out to a T.
These incidents are common in bilingual workplaces, especially by employers who illegally employee non-citizens. It’s essential that foreign language workers talk with a Spanish speaking personal injury attorney to get the compensation they’re entitled to.
