What is Workplace Safety?
When it comes down to it, workplace safety is simply a risk hazard assessment. For employers, this means identifying all of the safety hazards and opportunities for harm at work. Health and safety are of utmost importance in the workplace, as it contributes to promoting wellness, happiness, and trust in the company for both employees and employers.
Why It’s Important
Besides the obvious component of injury prevention, workplace safety is crucial for a number of other reasons that aren’t as obvious. A safe workplace not only reduces safety hazards, but promotes heightened productivity, minimizes property damages, reduces a corporation’s financial losses that could result from an incident, improves quality of work, increases employee satisfaction and overall happiness, and protects a corporation’s reputation. Hence, it’s worth spending some time to think about what your company is doing to keep its workers safe.
Top 7 Workplace Safety Hazards in the USA
According to the National Safety Council of America, one worker is injured on the job every seven seconds. This is a very significant statistic! It means that companies must begin taking steps toward cultivating a positive safety culture within their team. The first step is identifying common safety hazards and practices that could jeopardize the health and safety of employees. Here is a list that we put together of the top 7 safety hazards in the US workplace to help your company get started.
1) Physical hazards
Prolonged direct exposure to sunlight, radiation, extreme temperatures, and high stress on the body from manual labor are a handful of prominent physical hazards that can occur on the job. These examples mostly occur outside and therefore have the largest impact on outdoor industries (construction, forestry, fishing, or the water sector, or even the postal service). For example, on July 16, 2019, U.S. Postal Service carrier Peggy Frank, 63, was found dead in her non-air-conditioned mail truck, a day that temperatures soared to 117 degrees A common construction danger is forklift-related hazards which occur when workers take shortcuts and work too quickly. Slips, falls, vibrations and exposure to very loud noises are also considered to be common physical hazards. These hazards could occur in any industry sector.
2) Height hazards
Employers should be aware that fall protection is required by OSHA at elevations of four feet in general industry workplaces, five feet in shipyards, and six feet in the construction industry. Height hazards become life-threatening when fall protection is not worn correctly or is not worn at all. Scaffolding and ladder accidents are among the most frequent in the US. Recently, a worker at the Fieldale Farms, poultry plant in Murrayville, Georgia, died after he fell from a ladder at the facility. Height risks affect a large spectrum of organizations, including agriculture, roofing, window installation, and construction companies.
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3) Work organization and housekeeping hazards
This may include clutter on desks? in the work space? or any obstacles that are blocking fire exits. Companies should also be aware of clutter, leaks or spills which could increase the likeliehood of falls. Poor housekeeping can even include unguarded machinery and other shortcomings that have the potential to be extremely damaging. Over-stacking loads on racks in a warehouse is a common safety hazard that places them too close to a sprinkler head, limiting the sprinkler’s efficiency in fire emergency. Types of work organization hazards may include workplace violence, excessive workplace demands, and a very high intensity of work. These can occur in any high-paced work environment where there is a large sense of urgency to meet aggressive deadlines.
4) Chemical hazards
This encompasses the use, transfer, and storage of chemicals. Hazardous liquids, cleaning products, paints, and solvents, as well as flammable chemicals and dangerous gases, all pose potential risks to employees. Chemical hazards are a significant concern for employees working in the oil and gas and health care sector. The most common hazardous gas found in the oil and gas sector is hydrogen sulfide (H2S). H2S is a colorless and flammable gas that is toxic and noticeable by its rotten-egg smell. The H2S gas is a silent threat and exposure to high levels can cause severe side-effects and symptoms.
5) Microbiological hazards
Exposure to mold and fungi, blood and bodily fluids, sewage, airborne illnesses (even a common cold), insects that sting, poisonous plants, and animal/bird feces are all examples of microbiological hazards. These safety risks are mostly found outside, which is where many lone workers do most of their work. Employees working for water companies, in the forestry or mining industry, and construction are at high risk. Microbiological hazards are especially dangerous because they are often overlooked, and workers tend to not be as educated on the risks of being exposed to them.
6) Electrical hazards
These may include damaged tools and equipment, overhead power lines, exposed electrical parts, misuse of extension cords, improper grounding, poor wiring, overloaded circuits, damaged insulation, and wet conditions. Employees who are at the highest risk are electricians, engineers, and overhead line workers.
7) Ergonomic hazards
Such hazards include repetitive movements (such as frequent lifting), uncomfortable workstation height, manual handling, poor body positioning or posture, and any other hazard which negatively impacts an employee’s musculoskeletal system. These hazards aren’t only threatening to employees who are mainly stationary but can negatively affect workers that are performing repetitive physical labor as well; for instance, construction workers.
Read more: Identifying Hazards in the Workplace
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