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REDUCING AND MINIMIZING WORKPLACE

INJURIES

Saad Abdul WahabM.Sc Applied Chemistry & Chemical Technology | Sp. In Petroleum & PetrochemicalsIOSH, IRCA LA OHSAS, HABC, Authorized Safety Trainer GI-123 by DG FCD, HIRARC by NILATAwareness Certifications of EMS-14001, OSHAS-18001, QMS-9001:2008, FSMS-22000:2005, SSCL (17025) by SGS, MATLAB, PM by ICCBS,Recognized from FCDTS, NILAT, SGS, PHMA, NFEH, EVI, SFTI, IOSH, HABC

INTRODUCTION

Safety in the workplace is an important issue for small businesses. With the rising cost of workers' compensation insurance and the need to keep employees happy and healthy, taking precautions to reduce workplace accidents is a vital part of running a small business. No matter what industry you are in, workers have the potential of being injured. By following set protocols and identifying potential risks, you can reduce the number of accidents and make the workplace safer.

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IN BRIEF:

One of the social consequences of work-related musculo-skeletal disorders (MSDs) is a decrease in workers' ability to provide care to family outside of work.

Study participants reported a significant reduction in the amount of time spent in unpaid caregiving activities while they recovered from a work-related MSD.

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INJURY:

Injury is damage to a biological organism which can be classified on various bases

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There are five categories of incidents you may have to report on:

Near miss – an incident or accident in which a person just avoids being injured

Damage to plant or equipment – a serious occurrence but one in which n-one is hurt

Minor injury – this could highlight a more serious safety problem

Major injury – a serious incidentWork-related travel injury – occurs while a

worker is travelling to or from work

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5 Things to Do If you’re Injured On-the-Job:

Workplace injuries can happen to anyone in any field, which is why even small offices carry workers’ comp insurance. If you are hurt at work in the course of your duties, your company’s workers’ comp benefits may cover the cost of your care. To ensure your ability to receive coverage however, you must follow proper procedures from the moment a workplace injury occurs.

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1. Report Workplace Injuries Immediately:

In cases of serious injury requiring immediate treatment, you may inform your employer after your situation has stabilized. If possible, however, you should notify your employer in writing prior to seeking treatment. Workers’ comp insurance plans vary, and some may require you to see a specific provider or undergo certain tests. Seeking treatment without following these guidelines can hurt your ability to receive workers’ compensation benefits.

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2. Handle Workman’s Compensation Claims in Writing:

Both you and your employer should write down every relevant detail throughout the process of filing your workers’ compensation claim. If your workers’ compensation insurance policy has restrictions, your employer is required by law to outline those for you. This can be done verbally, but must be backed up in writing within a specific time frame. This is usually a week or less, but laws vary by state.

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3. Your Employer Must Provide Workers’ Comp Benefits:

Although state laws are different, your ability to receive workman’s compensation for an on-the-job injury is protected nationally. If you follow procedure by documenting everything and visiting only approved providers and your employer still attempts to deny your claim, you may require a workers’ comp lawyer.

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4. Even the Simplest Claims May Require a Workers’ Compensation

Attorney:

Ideally your workplace injury will be covered and your medical bills paid without too much hassle, however that isn’t necessarily the case. For example, carpal tunnel and other repetitive use injuries, by their nature, can’t be reported at the moment they begin. A workers’ comp lawyer can expertly help you obtain and organize your medical records to prove your diagnosis resulted from a workplace injury.

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5. Don’t Skip That Claim:

If your employer attempts to dissuade you from filing a claim, consider this a red flag, and consult a workers’ comp lawyer. Your boss may say that the health insurance he provides should cover your workplace injury, but it usually won’t. Health care providers are trained to recognize workplace injuries, and these will be denied by health insurance if there is another insuring body responsible.

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Reducing Workplace Injuries: What You Should Know?Injuries that occur on the job or in the place of work are costly in many ways. For one, of course, there is the monetary cost. Work place injuries take money to pay for and depending on the injury or how it occurred, that cost will likely fall – either directly or indirectly through such things as increased insurance costs – on the shoulders of the employer. Either way, there is more than just the cost of paying for the immediate treatment of the injury to think about.

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Workplace Injury Prevention: Clear all physical obstacles:

Don’t let something that would have been easily preventable now become something that is difficult to deal with later. Make sure there are no cords across walkways, slick floors that could have water spilled on them and become a slippery hazard, etc.

Mix up tasks for employees:

Give people some variety in their daily life at work. Not only will it stimulate their minds better but it will keep them from getting a repetitive stress injury. This can apply to both people who have to do heavy lifting every day to keep them from hurting their backs or desk workers.

Have an on-site clinic and medical staff:

Even if it’s only a small facility, having a well-stocked on-site work clinic with a properly trained doctor or nurse available to treat minor injuries or medical emergencies can be a great help to keep a small issue from becoming a big one. At the very least, ensuring the proper medical equipment are on hand is a must.

Properly train all employees:

With proper training you’re doing your due diligence to keep your employees safe. Have monthly meetings to teach new practices, monitor the safety of employees regularly, discipline employees who are not taking proper precautions, and developing the proper manuals for new employees to gain information about your safety practices.

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By law the types of injuries that must be reported include:

Injury that results in the death of an employeeFracture of the skull, spine or pelvisFracture of any bone in the arm or legLoss of sight Injury resulting in a likely absence from work of 10 or more

working days

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Timing is everything...Timing is everything... Return to work too soon Injury???

Out of work too long Costs everyone!› Employer› Insurer› Patient › Health Care Provider

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Workplace risks and hazards:

Workplace RISK is defined as the chance of something occurring that will result in injury or damage

Workplace HAZARDS are those things in the workplace that pose a risk to you and/or your work colleagues

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Hazards that office workers could be exposed to include anything that is a source of:

Potential harm in terms of human injury or ill health

Damage to propertyDamage to the environment

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Some of the more general sources of potential harm in an office setting may include:

Cramped working conditionsExtreme temperaturesInefficient fire and emergency

proceduresLifting heavy loadsOverworkPoor lightingPoor designed workstations

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Risk Factors:Gender

Females were up to 9 times more likely to be MD with MSI than males.

Training Load

Only 43% of ‘Paras’ completed training, with 14.4% MD due to MSI.

Aerobic Fitness

Least fit 20% of trainees were ~3 times more likely to be MD with MSI.

Heat Stress

In excess of 100 military trainees were admitted to hospital each year following an Exertional Heat Illness (EHI) in UK training.

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Anything that might cause injury or ill health to anyone in your workplace is a HAZARD

Electricity is a hazard – risk someone may receive a shock if it is incorrectly wired or wiring is exposed

Toxic chemical is a hazard – risk that a person may be poisoned, burned or suffer breathing problems

Manual handling is a hazard – risk that a person may sprain their back if it is not done according to correct procedures and guidelines

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How can hazards arise?

Inappropriate or ineffective management systems and procedures

Poor work practicesThe work environmentPoorly trained employeesPoorly maintained equipment

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Biological – includes bacteria, viruses, spillages of blood, dressings and waste fumes, insects

Chemical – acids, poisons, cleaning agents, fumes

Mechanical and/or electrical – equipment, plant and machinery

Physical – includes floors, stairs, steps, ladders, fire, falling objects, slippery surfaces, manual handling, excessively loud and prolonged noise, poor lighting, ventilation, threatening customers or patients

Psychological – includes workplace stressors arising from a variety of sources such as workplace bullying, conflict and poor time management

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Extension cords running across the floor – WHAT IS THE RISK?

Boxes and cartons stacked in front of the fire

escape – WHAT IS THE RISK?

The fire door is locked – WHAT IS THE RISK?

The chair has a wobbly leg – WHAT IS THE RISK?

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Methods of identifying hazards ( formal procedures):

People forming teams to perform inspections

Analysing incident reportsWriting reports

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Five types of activities to controlling risks:

Hazard identification – finding the hazards that already exist in your organisation

Hazard elimination – reducing the potential for accidents to occur

Training – Induction training to show workers how to operate machinery/equipment safely and to eliminate risks

Monitoring – constantly checking to see that safe work practices are been followed and procedures are updated when required

Reporting – Informing and writing down all OH&S issues when they occur

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Personal Protective Equipment ( PPE)

Designed to protect workers from direct exposure to body fluids, potentially infectious materials, harmful agents in the work environment

Essential you use PPE correctlyPPE could include

• overalls to protect body from hazardous substances

• Safety boots

• Safety gloves/helmets/masks and goggles

• Ear muffs for use in noisy environment

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INJURY COST:

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CONCLUSION

Safety in the workplace is very important issue for all businesses.

We can reduce workplace injuries through proper safety and prevention.

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THANK YOU