How to Deal with Workplace Incidents & The Ways to Prevent Incidents?

 

Workplace incidents can leave a significant impact on your business. Incidents can happen without warning, sometimes becoming a major issue, a minor issue, or just a near-miss. No matter the scale or causes of incidents, it should not happen in the first place. The best way to deal with the incidents is to avoid them from happening. 

The employees need to be alert of the risks and hazards that may come along their way. And some of the jobs may have more risks than others. For instance, construction workers must deal with heavy equipment and work at high elevations. They are prone more to incidents, as well as they must wear protective gear and follow the precautions. 

The count of workplace incidents is still high

According to the International Labor Organization, more than 6,300 people die every day worldwide because of workplace accidents or occupational diseases, totaling more than 2.3 million deaths each year. Thus, 153 workers are injured on the job every 15 seconds.

A well-executed incident management system can help to reduce/ prevent workplace risks. Let us dive into some of the tips to consider preventing incidents:

Incorporate a wellness plan

Efficient incident prevention and wellness plan is the cornerstone for a safe work environment. Employee safety and health must be addressed at all levels of the program, encouraging to report harmful practices or conduct.

Educate employees and management staff

Keep a high level of safety awareness among employees and management. As often as possible, remind staff of the necessity of following safety procedures. Body mechanics training can help employees avoid strain injuries and be safe while lifting and moving.

Make workplace health & safety everyone’s business.

The goal of occupational health and safety is to keep everyone safe in potentially risky situations. While employers have the ultimate responsibility for ensuring that their workplace is safe for their employees, it is the employees’ responsibility to follow policies and procedures to keep themselves and others safe.

Risk assessment

Once a specific incident has been dealt with, it is necessary to undergo a risk assessment. This can prevent from happening the same incident again. Pay attention to the hazards that happened and remember to examine the potential hazards that could be present. It would be better to conduct a workplace safety audit. It helps organizations have a bird eye view of all the hazards in your workplace and create a better plan to manage them. 

Conduct pre-placement physicals

Some incidents can happen by the inability and lack of experience of the individuals to handle positions. Thus, screening applicants with positions matching their profiles is necessary. 

Examine safety vulnerabilities

Every company is different, and they don’t all share the same safety concerns. Pay special attention to common mishaps and develop measures to prevent them from occurring.

Avoid shortcuts

When staff rushes to finish a job ahead of schedule, they make mistakes. To avoid workplace errors, make sure all instructions are clear and well-organized.

Proper guidance to employees

Maintain a high level of safety awareness among employees and management. As often as possible, remind staff of the necessity of following safety procedures. Body mechanics training can help employees avoid strain injuries and be safe while lifting and moving.

Monitor safety measures

Reinforce safety measures every time. Give proper training, guidance, supervision, staff meeting, etc., to ensure employee safety measures are followed every time. Also, encourage your employees to reward those who stick to the rules or stay injury-free for a certain period.

Respond quickly

As a business owner or manager, you must always keep your employees’ health and safety in mind. It is critical that you be aware and on the lookout for conditions that could lead to an injury and that you handle them before an injury occurs. 

If you discover that an employee has been hurt on the job, you must do everything feasible (as soon as possible) to address the problem and keep the person safe. If the damage isn’t life-threatening, have someone on-site with a standard first-aid certification treat the employee’s injuries using the first-aid equipment available. Suppose an accident has resulted in a life-threatening injury. In that case, the person in charge of first aid treatment will require an emergency first aid certification to properly stabilize the injured employee. In contrast, first responders arrive on the site to take over.

To conclude

Unfortunately, no matter how well you plan, an accident or injury to an employee can still happen. If this happens, make sure you’re ready to get them the help they need as soon as possible. Incorporating an incident management system in your workforce can help you prevent incidents or reduce the impact mishaps can make. 

Automax IMS can help you proactively develop a system to manage your incidents effectively.