Injury prevention

RSS

Use of compact fluorescent lightbulbs can save money, conserve energy, reduce waste and lower greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. However, CFLs contain mercury – a potent neurotoxin that, in small amounts, can cause serious health problems. At room temperature, mercury is a liquid and can readily evaporate into the air.

Whenever muscle damage occurs – whether it’s the result of a work-related incident, heat exposure, overuse or other cause – rhabdomyolysis can follow. Also called “rhabdo,” the condition develops when damaged or dead muscles break down and release cell contents into the blood, according to NIOSH.

If you use hammers on the job, are you using them safely? If not, serious injuries can occur.

A pinch point is anywhere a part of a worker’s body can be caught between two objects. According to the Texas Department of Insurance Division of Workers’ Compensation, pinch-point injuries can result in amputation or death.

A Job Safety Analysis “helps integrate accepted safety and health principles and practices into a particular task or job operation,” the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety states.

Cuts and lacerations are common workplace injuries. In fact, about 30% of all workplace injuries involve cuts or lacerations, and approximately 70% of those are to the hands or fingers, according to the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation.

Lifting objects or manually handling materials puts workers at risk for back injuries. More than 111,000 such injuries requiring days away from work were recorded in 2017, according to Injury Facts, an online database created by the National Safety Council.

We’ve all heard that adults should get seven to nine hours of sleep a day. Missing out on good sleep can negatively affect your productivity, cognitive performance, vigilance, accuracy and judgment.

Do you ever get distracted by your cellphone when walking? Is your workspace cluttered and messy? Do you barge out of your workstation without looking to see if a coworker is passing?

Hazards are all around us. Although some are easy to see, many are not. The trick is learning to spot the hidden hazards.