Archive for October, 2017

Head injuries can have the most consequences for both the worker and the company compared to other injuries. For starters, a head injury has the most potential to be both long-term and undetected. In many cases, the full scope of the injury does not become apparent for months. The best defense is to avoid these injuries to begin with. While some injuries are not avoidable and occur even when all prevention tactics are properly performed, there are ways to lessen the risk and avoid some injuries altogether.

For this level of prevention, both the employee and the company must be on the same page and working against the risk. The two parts of working against head injuries specifically are identifying the potential hazards and minimizing exposure to those hazards.

Identifying Hazards

Falling objects pose the biggest threat for a head injury. When height is added, even small objects have the potential for causing a serious injury. However, even work environments with low clearance pose a threat for head injuries. Objects don’t have to fall from a large height to be dangerous. In fact, walking into an overhead can cause serious head injuries. Hard hat usage is one of the top preventative tools when it comes to head injury as they provide protection from the full impact. Additionally, they can help against electrical shock and burns when working around hot wires.

Lowering the Risks

Workers have the biggest responsibility when limiting exposure to hazards and risks of head injury. While management can put together procedures for safety, it is up to workers to execute those procedures. Some tips for employees to keep in mind include:

• Be Cautious. In every industry, there are inherent risks in the workplace. By expressing caution, employees can avoid a lot of risks and injuries. Paying close attention to where you are and what is around you, along with taking environmental factors into account, the worker can mitigate some of the risk in working.
• Calm. Staying cool and collected can lead to less risky behavior and better work practices. Taking breaks and walking away can alleviate some of the stress, leading to a better work environment for all workers.
• Awareness. Being aware of what is around you can lead to far fewer accidents. A trip accident can be avoided by noticing a wire across a walkway. With everchanging work environments in construction, those sites are the most important to stay keenly aware of the environment.
• Safety Rules. While some safety rules may seem as though they make little sense in practice, there is always a reason for them. Even further, having a uniform workforce that expresses the same caution and has the same protocol for work.

If you have been injured at work, whether it is your own fault or due to someone’s negligence, you could be entitled to compensation. Contact us today to find out how we can help your claims process.