Injury or Accidents in the workplace

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Accidents in the Workplace are quite common. Everyday we come across news of accidents in workplaces that forces me to think how we can reduce these incidents. Security and safety at workplace is a major concern for both the employees and the employers. Beside keeping emergency police, hospital, ambulance, doctor and fire fighters’ numbers; one must take care of the below mentioned points to handle various kind of workplace injury and keep the workplace safe and secure.

1. Fire
2. Electrical
3. Software and Data
4. Office premises & colleagues
5. Parking Area
6. Machinery  

1.  Fire –

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Fire is one of the major element uproot the security and the most common workplace injury. While talking about workplace,  here are some points one must note in order to stay safe with this workplace injury.

• Become familiar with your facility’s fire and life safety systems.
• Know which of the following your building has, as well as their location and use: Manual pull alarms | Fire extinguishers | Smoke detectors | Fire alarm monitoring service | Exit doors & stairwells | Voice alarm| Sprinklers | Fire doors „Watch out for Common fire | Missing or broken fire safety equipment |Accumulated trash | Open fire doors| Burned out exit lights| Blocked stairways
• Do not use water to douse fire caused by electrical fault you may  get the electrical shock.

2. Electrical –

Steps to avoid electrical accidents and hazards in workplace

• Maintain all electrical installations in good working order
• Provide enough socket-outlets for equipment in use
• Do not overload socket-outlets – using adapters can cause fires
• Know the position of Emergency Off ( Power)  switch to cut off power in an emergency
• Use the right equipment as per the advice of specialist and certified electrician
• Some equipment are double insulated. These are often marked with a ‘double-square’ symbol. The supply leads have only two wires – live (brown) and neutral (blue)
• Using lower voltages can reduce or eliminate the risks of electric shocks and burns.
• Portable tools are available which can be run from a 110 volts, centre-tapped-to-earth supply, (usually from a transformer) Battery-operated electrically powered tools are safest.
• Temporary lighting can be run at lower voltages, e.g. 12, 25, 50 or 110 volts.

3. Software and Data

Workplace is  full of responsibilities as you have to deal with loads of information and processes.  The safety of organisation and employees are dependent on confidentiality and trust.

Breaching any of those can be a curse so there are steps to take precautions -  

• Do not share sensitive information with unknown individuals in chat-rooms or other Internet discussion forums. 
• Verify that you have an encrypted connection when providing credit card or other financial information online.
• Use a password that cannot be easily guessed— mix up letters and numbers in a random fashion.
• Change your password regularly.
• Backup all systems regularly.
• Keep backup information in a fire safe or better yet off the premises.
• Use virus protection software.
• Use a firewall or gatekeeper between your computer and the Internet.
• Disconnect computers from the Internet when they are not in use.
• Regularly download security patches from your software vendors.
• Don’t send confidential, financial, or personal information on your email system.
• Use original software
• Keep your website secured

4. Office Premises & colleagues –

Even inside the office there are various threats, harassment and safety breaches, so one needs to take complete care to tackle the problem and here are those :-

• Easy-to-use phone systems with emergency buttons |sign-in policies for visitors | panic buttons| safe rooms | security guards| office access controls| good lighting| CCTV|  safety training
• Hiring time -employment gaps| history| references| and criminal and educational records
• Potentially violent employees | clear, written policy that spells out procedures in cases of violence and sanctions for violators| Policy against sexual harassments and abuse

5. Parking Area –

• Choose a well-lighted, well-guarded parking garage. 
• If the office building has its own garage, work with your facility manager if you do not feel safe.
• Always lock your car and roll the windows up all the way. 
• If you notice any strangers hanging around the parking lot, notify security or the police. 
• When you approach the car, have the key ready. 
• Check the floor and front and back seats before getting in. 
• Lock your car as soon an as you get in—before you buckle your seat belt. Write down the license number of any vehicle involved in a possible crime.

6. Machineries

There are high chances  of safety breaches in office or work places if one take proper care of machineries or the forget to take precautions. Keep these points in mind while dealing with machineries.  

• Observe and practice the safety procedures established for the job.
• In case of sickness or injury, no matter how slight, report at once to your supervisor or medical team
• In case of injury resulting in possible fracture to legs, back, or neck, or any accident resulting in an unconscious condition, or a severe head injury, the employee is not to be moved until medical attention has been given by authorized personnel.
• Do not wear loose clothing or jewelry around machinery. It may catch on moving equipment and cause a serious injury even death
• Never allow distraction to divert attention or concentration at the time of machine operation. It you might cause him or her to be injured. If necessary to get the attention of another person, wait until it can be done safely.
• Wear protective equipment, such as goggles, safety glasses, masks, gloves, hair nets, etc. appropriate to the task.
• Safety equipment such as restraints, pull backs, and two-hand devices are designed for your protection. Be sure such equipment is adjusted for you.
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• Workplace injury doesn’t always mean something physical. While some of these injuries are not predictable, but staying alert is the key to stay safe with these accidents in the workplace as well as in the personal life. Safe work environment ensures happy employees which means excellent work output.

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