According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 3 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses were reported in 2015 alone.
The most common type of workplace injuries/events that lead to injury include:
- Slips, trips and falls
- Overexertion in lifting or lowering (which often leads to muscle sprains or tears)
- Being struck by an object
- Electrocutions
- Being caught in or between structures
Because there is such a high prevalence of workplace injury, safety advocates are pushing for employers to review and revamp their prevention programs.
The technical term used when discussing workplace safety programs is “SIF”, serious injury and fatality prevention. Experts are urging employers and safety personnel to focus on three main factors:
- Reported events that have the potential to be life-altering or fatal
- Conditions that exist prior to an incident
- Protection systems (or lack thereof), such as training and workplace restrictions.
Experts also site the importance of building trust in the workplace (employee to employee and employee to management) and ensuring the company’s leadership team is vested in their SIF program.
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