Avoiding accidents at work

We often take being able to sit at a comfortable and warm desk all day for granted. While some accidents do occur in an office environment, the majority are still in the labour-intensive industries.

This infographic from Trainwest explores the number of workplace fatalities in Australia on a yearly basis and examines what can be done to reduce the number of fatalities.

The good news is that the number of fatalities is being reduced year on year but losing 3,414 lives between 2003 and 2016 is simply unacceptable.

It’s also interesting to look at it from the perspective of claims to see what’s really happening in the Australian workplace. People in their thousands are reporting accidents based on workplace accidents.

It’s important to remember that accidents at work aren’t all about the fatalities and last year 44,000 claims were launched after a body stressing accident from simple things like lifting a heavy object. Sometimes employees lift things that are just too heavy or maybe they don’t receive adequate training in how to lift things correctly.

There were also over 23,000 claims because of someone falling, slipping or tripping. This is usually because of a lack of organisation in the place of work and some of these injuries can be fatal.

All companies should have a safety plan in place, particularly in labour intensive industries. The first step should be to identify risks and prioritise them accordingly. Look for those people who are in the most precarious positions and take immediate action.

Once safety measures have been implemented it’s important to constantly follow-up to ensure they are being maintained. Safety measures are often implemented as a reaction to an accident but it’s vital to be pro-active in this regard as companies could be putting lives in jeopardy.

Remember that it’s often a good idea to ask people working in your company for their feedback on safety. It can be hard when you’re not working on the site every day to be aware of all the different risks down the warehouse for example.

Keep in mind that all safety plans should be updated at regular intervals to ensure they still relevant. Check out the full infographic now to learn more about workplace safety in Australia.

In every workplace, incidents should be reported if you notice anything untoward. Don’t wait until someone else does as it could cost someone their life.