These are the most common injuries in the workplace. Have you suffered with one?
The workplace is a dangerous place
We spend an inordinate amount of time in the workplace. In fact, most of our adult life is spent working. In Rutger Bergman’s book ‘A Uptopia for Realists’, Rutger describes the two fundamental needs of a human being to be one; leisure time, and two; the need to work a purposeful career. Now whether we lead a purposeful career or not is a different matter, but the harsh truth is, whether we like it or not, we have to work, and the workplace can be a dangerous environment to be in, if not managed correctly.
In fact, over a third of our lifetime is spent at work, so the chances of being subject to a workplace injury at some point in your life is high. To better safeguard yourself from ever being subject to injury at work, make yourself aware of the most common injuries in the workplace!
The most common injuries in the workplace
Music strain injuries
Whether you’re simply sitting in a chair that doesn’t properly support your posture, or whether you are lifting heavy goods and pick something up incorrectly, muscle injuries are one of the most common injuries in the workplace. Even being sat down can cause problems if you’re not using the right equipment and looking at a screen at the right head height.
In America, back pain complaints alone can cost $7.4bn to a business, and lead to 100m days in lost working days each year. More alarmingly, 33% of workplace injuries are related to overstraining/pulling muscles due to heavy lifting
Trip, slips and falls
Another common injury at work is suffering from a fall, slippage or tripping over. We often spill tea and coffee during a ‘round’, don’t clean up oil spillage correctly, mis-calculate steps or even trip over wires or cables that are not properly hidden, or have no visible signage nearby to identify them.
In the office particularly, tripping over cables is one of the most common workplace injuries, whereas in a factory, slippage more common than tripping over cables.
Machinery mismanagement/failure
Specifically, to factory workers, a common workplace injury is caused by the mismanagement or malfunctioning of machinery. Injuries specifically that can be caused are lacerations, cuts, bruises and broken bones depending on the machine, and type of action performed. These are the most dangerous types of injuries in the workplace, and when handling machinery, special precautions, health and safety policies and duty of care should be taken.
Fires, and explosions
Although it is law to have a clear fire safety policy, big factories using flammable chemicals are at high risk of causing fires and explosions. Burns and injuries from flying objects are specifically related to industries and factories where chemicals, machinery and gases are used in the manufacturing process.
How to better avoid suffering from an injury at work
Once you’re aware of some of the most common injuries at work, you can be better prepared to avoid them, and help others do the same. There are some obvious things to consider when working in environments that could cause workplace injuries:
- Where the correct PPE
- Where identified, use slippery floor signage
- Know your health and safety policies
- Avoid/remove sharp edges
- Correct and on-going training for machinery management
- Hide cables, wires where possible, and use signage where applicable.
What to do if you’re subject to a workplace injury
After logging an accident report, and liaising with your employer, it is always important to seek legal advice from a solicitor. Simply for peace of mind and safeguarding reasons. As nice as an employer might be, they do not want to fork out for an accident at work if they can avoid it, but if you’re going to be out of work for some time, seeking legal advice is a must do.
Seek specific expertise in personal injury law. For example, if you’re in Bury, England, searching for ‘personal injury solicitor in Bury’ will bring up reputable personal injury lawyers like Aston Knight, who have a reputation in winning disputes and helping injured employees receive the level of work injury compensation they need.
It’s important to do your due-diligence, so ensure you look around, and go with the best solicitor that understands your situation and fills you with the most confidence. After all, an injury at work could threaten your career, and you need the right level of service to help you support yourself thereafter.