Common injuries on the workplace and how to prevent them

Injuries on the workplace are among the most common causes of physical pain for adults in the UK. They involved as many as 629,000 workers in 2013/14, a scary figure that matches the population of a city the size of Glasgow.

Many of these injuries are due to the negligence of colleagues or the employer, and there’s little that a worker can do to prevent them. Yet in most other cases, a sensible approach to health and safety combined with a consciousness of the dangers of the surrounding working area can make a big difference and help prevent pain and distress. Recurring to personal injury solicitors makes perfect sense when all else fails, yet should never become the norm on the workplace.
So here are a few areas to focus on and some vital tips to bear in mind to prevent work-related injuries.

• Steadiness is key

Falls, slips and trips are the most common causes of injury on the workplace. What’s worrying and reassuring at the same time is that preventing these injuries is easy in most cases. Wearing the shoes that are right for the surface and removing debris and clutter in the area where you work in are simple yet effective ways to keep steady. If you want to be on the safe side, anti-slip footwear and anti-slip floor coatings are also available.

• Avoid routine

Repetitive strain injury (RSI) is another very common cause of injury on the workplace and one of the most striking as it really affects workers with sedentary positions and lifestyles. Even the office can be a dangerous environment if you perform the same movements repeatedly. Using a keyboard or mouse for long periods of time can lead to RSI just as much as working in an assembly line. To avoid RSI, try and take various breaks from your desk during the day and avoid hitting the keyboard too hard. Your position is also very important as the legs should be kept underneath you rather than stretched out completely, which would have a negative impact on your back.

• Know your limits

If your job involves a lot of manual handling, you should always know when it’s time to ask for somebody else’s help and when a machine is the only way to lift a heavy box. Carrying too much weight – overexertion in more technical terms – is the most common of work injury across the Pond and also the biggest cause of musculoskeletal disorder. Generally speaking, kinetic lifting is the best way to approach weight lifting on the workplace. If moving heavy boxes and material is a big part of your job you shouldn’t think twice before asking your employer to deliver an intensive kinetic lifting training course.