Staying safe at work
When you’re doing your job, you expect to avoid injury and accidents, but sometimes it requires some conscious effort to stay safe at work. Occasionally something might happen, through someone else’s negligence, that means someone else gets hurt while doing their daily tasks. If you find yourself injured as part of an accident at work, you should call an injury at work lawyer as soon as you can.
Wear the correct equipment
Sure, safety equipment doesn’t always look cool, but it is crucial that you wear anything that is required as part of your role to keep you safe. For example, this might mean safety goggles, a hi-vis jacket, gloves, ear defenders, a hard hat, or steel-toe boots, depending on what you have to do daily. PPE or personal protective equipment is there to reduce exposure to hazards that may cause you harm, and if you refuse to wear them, or don’t use them appropriately, you could be putting yourself at serious risk. Your employer should train you on how to wear and use the PPE effectively, and many places will provide this for you to help keep you safe.
Learn to lift correctly
If your job involves any form of heavy lifting, it’s crucial that you know the correct technique to avoid injury. It’s essential to lift from your knees, and not try to lift anything too heavy. It’s okay to ask for help or to refuse to lift something if it could cause you damage. Back injuries are incredibly common, and they can put you out of work for a while, so it is in everyone’s best interests for you to lift safely and correctly.
Stay focused
It can be easy to become complacent when you do a task regularly, but some things require your full attention and focus every time. If you are working with chemicals, or heavy machinery, for example, if you let your mind wander, or start to fool around, you could end up causing an accident and hurting yourself or others around you. Respect your work and stay focused where possible.
Communicate
If something doesn’t feel safe – maybe you’re worried that a piece of machinery isn’t working the same, or you can see a safer way of performing a task – be sure to communicate with your line manager. Clear and open communication can improve a whole range of issues at work, not least of which involving stress and mental health in the workplace. By fostering an environment where people feel able to speak openly and to support one another, not only will you create somewhere that people want to come, but also a much safer, happier place to work.
If everyone follows guidelines and instructions, wears the correct safety gear, and doesn’t take risks, workplace accidents should be infrequent, and injuries should be minimal. It really does take a team effort to keep your workplace safe for everyone, but it is worth it.