Another year of work ahead, and the care and commitment to occupational safety need to be renewed, whether you are a manager, machine and equipment operator, responsible for maintenance, or any other position you occupy in an industrial environment. Take a look at the 7 things you need to know about workplace safety to start your year in health and safety including your safety boots like Thorogood boots for instance!
1 – Workplace Safety Is A Science
Occupational safety acts to prevent accidents and promote the health of workers. Therefore, it is an interdisciplinary human science that aims to understand how accidents occur, prevent, and ensure the well-being and health of everyone. It involves the knowledge of several areas and professionals such as medicine, engineering, technology, statistics, administration, and so on.
2 – What Is Considered An Accident At Work
A work accident occurs when a worker suffers a bodily injury during or as a result of the exercise of work activity, which may involve the loss, permanent or temporary reduction of work capacity, and, in some cases, death. The so-called “commuting accident” or “commuting accident” is also considered a work occurrence when commuting from home to work or work to home.
Some examples of work accidents are occurrences during service provision; even if outside the workplace and hours, acts of recklessness, negligence, or malpractice by employees or third parties; collapse, explosion, flood, fire, shocks, etc.; aggression; physical and moral offense; and occupational diseases caused by the exercise of a particular activity. Many people do not know, but occupational diseases are directly related to working conditions and how workers perform them. Therefore, they are also accounted for in occupational health.
3 – What Are Occupational Hazards
The occupational risk is the likelihood of a worker suffering any damage resulting from their professional activities. Thus, they are occupational accidents or illnesses that can occur according to their occupation.
Know the main ones:
Physical risks: are related to the employee’s exposure to noise, excessive temperatures, radiation, and humidity. To mitigate these risks, individual or collective protection equipment is used.
Chemical risks: according to the use of substances for disinfection, sterilization, cleaning, and equipment maintenance (oils, solvents, etc.). For worker protection, measures such as personal protective equipment, reduction of exposure to the most toxic products, and clinical examinations are recommended.
Ergonomic risks: related to physical exertion, weight lifting, long working hours, unprepared or improvised work environments, etc.
Biological hazards: exposure to potentially disease-causing microorganisms.
