Each day, workers across the country are subject to a number of risks that can jeopardize their health and safety and potentially cost their employers millions of dollars annually. Preventing on-the-job accidents and illnesses should be a top priority for every company, and there are plenty of effective ways to mitigate these risks and ensure a safe workplace.
However, there isn't one comprehensive solution for identifying workplace hazards. According to Oregon's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, injuries impact the U.S. economy to the tune of more than $110 million each year. The process of finding risks within a company involves more steps than just picking out the hazards, and all employees at the organization need to know these important measures.
For starters, it can help to determine who is at risk of injury or illness on the job. Oregon OSHA explained that physical exposure is defined as when a person is within a few feet of the hazard, while environmental exposure can affect anyone within the workplace, either via noise, air quality or temperature. Injuries on the job can take a number of different forms, including falls, mechanical faults, noises or toxic materials, among others. Performing regular inspections of the company to identify these issues will help prevent accidents and keep the number of insurance claims down.
OSHA announces new training tool
In addition to these steps, education is a very important strategy to identify and prevent workplace hazards. Employees must understand what poses a risk to their safety on a daily basis, and they must also have the skills needed to fix any problems that appear. In order to help with this, OSHA recently released a new interactive web tool to assist companies in identifying on-the-job hazards.
"Hazard identification is a critical part of creating an injury and illness prevention program that will keep workers safe and healthy on the job," said Dr. David Michaels, OSHA's assistant secretary of labor. "This new tool not only educates employers about how to take control of their workplaces and protect workers, it also demonstrates that following well-established safety practices is also good for the bottom line."
Now, users can walk through various real-world scenarios to test their knowledge of workplace safety risks, OSHA explained. Steps included in the training materials are information collection, observation, investigation and other useful skills that can improve a company's overall health and safety.
Amerisure developed the Observational safety Program to specifically target the primary frequency and severity claims drivers that impact your organization. Contact a Partners For Success® agency to find out more.
