How are accidents at the workplace prevented?

Preventing workplace accidents has a lot to do with knowing what kinds of hazards are around and doing the necessary work to mitigate or eliminate them. In fact, most workplace accidents that occur every year are entirely preventable with the right resources. With that being said, there are a number of actions an employer can take to reduce the rate of accidents taking place at a facility. Consider using the following tactics:

• Use visual tools such as signs, labels, and floor marking to denote the presence of hazardous conditions.
• Promote safety awareness through extensive training and re-training opportunities.
• Follow all relevant OSHA regulations and consensus standards to stay compliant and to protect workers.
• Regularly perform hazard analyses to discover any new dangers around the facility.
• Provide and enforce PPE use. This is the last defense against hazards, so it is often one of the most important to adequately protect employees if any hazards could not be eliminated entirely.

There are other options that an employer can take in addition to the above facility requirements. Consider improving the lighting around the facility. Giving employees a better line of sight will help them to avoid dangerous areas or situations. Maybe the facility is one that produces a lot of dust, debris, or chemical vapors. For this instance, consider updating the ventilation system to one that is more effective than what was there before. This example can help prevent long term exposure risks that often lead to chronic illnesses.

Workplace accident prevention also comes in the form of quickly addressing emergencies such as fire or chemical spills. The name of the game here is to prevent escalation to more dangerous conditions that have the ability to harm more people and damage property even further. Overall, remember, there are ways to prevent most workplace accidents, it just takes commitment and ingenuity.