Category: Injuries and Illness

Modern safety management goes beyond covering traditional workplace accidents to now being equally concerned with illnesses caused on and even off the job. This section will explain what you need to know to avoid both injuries and illnesses, and to track your progress in reaching this goal.

Free Special REport: Does Your PPE Program Meet OSHA’s Requirements?

Caring for Your Back: A Scholarly Approach

The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that back injuries account for 1 in 5 workplace injuries/illnesses. Back problems also account for many lost workdays. Simple steps to care for the back can prevent injury. According to the Department of Environmental Health and Safety at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI), risk factors for back injuries […]

Take Action Now to Reduce Ergonomic Risks

Reducing ergonomic risks in your workplace can have substantial benefits such as fewer MSD incidents, fewer lost workdays, lower workers’ comp costs, improved productivity and morale, and greater safety. You can reduce ergonomic risks in your workplace by using: Engineering controls, such as redesigning workstations, tools, and equipment to increase worker comfort and prevent MSDs […]

Emergency Response for Workplace Eye Injuries

Emergency workers responding to disasters like the recent earthquake in Haiti are exposed to numerous safety and health hazards; among them, eye injuries. Without prompt and effective emergency response following a workplace eye injury, the damage could turn into a permanent vision loss. Do your workers know how to administer proper first aid for eye […]

Stay on Top of First-Aid Requirements

Yesterday we provided a sample of first-aid questions and answers from Safety.BLR.com®. Today we give you some more Q&As, and we talk about a training program that can help you prepare employees for almost all first-aid emergencies. Q. I have two recharging machines for my electric forklifts. Do I need eyewash stations near the charging […]

Workplace First Aid: Your Questions Answered

First aid is one of the most common workplace safety issues, yet employers’ obligations are often not as well known as they are for other safety regulations. So we decided it was time to present some typical questions received and answered by the experts at Safety.BLR.com®. Q. How do you know if you need to […]

Report All Bloodborne Pathogens Exposures

Exposure to bloodborne pathogens such as hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, and HIV can lead to serious illness. Although healthcare workers and emergency first responders are most at risk, any employee can be exposed when giving first aid in the workplace, as well as in certain other situations. Needlesticks or cuts from sharp objects […]

Help Keep Workers Upright and All Right

Across industries and across the years, slips, trips, and falls continue to be among the leading causes of workplace injury. Opportunities for workplace falls are abundant, and many incidents result in serious injuries. Dr. William Marletta is a safety consultant in West Islip, New York, who specializes in slip, trip, and fall hazards. (The irony […]

Keys to Preventing Slips, Trips, and Falls

OSHA says slip, trip, and fall injuries account for the majority of general industry accidents. They cause back injuries, sprains and strains, contusions, and fractures. And they result in 15 percent of all accidental deaths. You know that falls can cause a variety of injuries and can spike your workers’ compensation costs. But looking at […]

Are Back Belts Effective?

Although many workers swear by back belts, claiming these devices help prevent lower back injury and pain, neither OSHA nor NIOSH tout the use of back belts. They say there are no good data showing that back belts prevent injury. While OSHA does not prohibit the use of back belts, it doesn’t encourage their use, […]

Time Change Means Increased Road Risks

This weekend marks the end of daylight saving time and, according to the experts, the beginning of a period in which the risk of traffic accidents increases due to the time change. "Since night falls an hour earlier, the commute home from work or school will likely be in the dark," says Adele Kristiansson, National […]