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Work related injuries are not always preventable; there are however, ways in which we can  decrease the number of incidents as well as lessen the impact that these injuries have on our employees, customers and overall business. On average, there are over 15,000 workplace injuries each year and many of these may have been prevented with proper training and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) works hard to provide regulations and recommendations for a safe work experience. Failure to comply with OSHA standards could result in costly fines that could add up.

• Remain vigilant and current with training and certification through all levels of your workforce. For example, CPR/First Aid/AED should be retrained prior to expiration of certification.
• Safety gear and PPE should be checked regularly for defect from wear and tear or incident. Posters or emails may be of use to remind staff of the need to utilize their PPE.
• Maintain and update your Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and Product Safety Data Sheets (PSDS). Staff should be familiar with the location of this information.
• Ensure that ladders, lifts and other equipment are regularly inspected for defect and verify that the safety and information stickers are well affixed.
• Availability of a well-stocked first aid kit is important and required. Whether you’re in the office or in the field, there should be a first aid kit readily available. Check the kit regularly for material that may expire such as antibiotic cream or over the counter medicine.
• Vehicle maintenance and logs are very important and need to be taken seriously. Drivers should also be equipped with a method of communication such as a radio or cell phone and they should ensure that there is current insurance documentation in the vehicle before they head out.
• Form a safety team to identify hazards and work with management to correct any issues that may arise.

Prevention of workplace incident is crucial to your workforce, reputation and bottomline. Haylor, Freyer & Coon, Inc. offers a variety of risk management solutions to assist in compliance with OSHA standards and other industry regulations. Along with risk management solutions, we also have a variety of business insurance options available to protect your company and insure all that you value. For more information on risk management solutions or insurance, please log onto www.haylor.com and ‘click to chat’ or give us a call at 1-800-289-1501.

Click here to see the most common causes of injuries in the workplace according to a Liberty Mutual Study.