UD celebrates Black History Month with a lecture by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and more events found on UD’s website. Events are engaging the community in recognizing contributions and activism of Black Americans. (UDaily)
Tag: Weekly Safety Message 37
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Trip Injuries and Prevention
Trip Injuries and Prevention Safety Talk
There are many times when the hazards with the most severe outcomes are focused on more than the common hazards found in a workplace. A good example of a common hazard that can be overlooked are trip hazards. It is important to give attention to trip hazards in your work area to prevent yourself from being injured or a coworker.
Trip Injuries in the Workplace
Trips are lumped into the same category as slips and falls in most injury statistic data. While it is difficult to separate trip injury data from the other two, the overall data for this category of injuries is staggering. According to the 2017 edition of “Injury Facts,” a National Safety Council chartbook, injuries from slips, trips, and falls resulted in 247,120 cases involving days away from work, and 818 worker deaths in 2014. While falls are undoubtedly responsible for the majority of fatalities, trips cause far too many injuries in the workplace.
Common Trip Hazards Found in Workplaces
There is an endless list of possible trip hazards found in a workplace. Some common examples to look for in your work area today:
- Extension cords
- Tools, equipment, materials
- Debris
- Cracks in floor
- Spaces or holes in flooring
- Changes in elevation
- Unexpected sloping
- Loose carpet or rugs
Certain environmental factors in a workplace can also increase the chance of a trip occurring when paired with the above hazards.
Common Environmental Factors that Increase Risk of Trip Incidents
- Glare
- Poor lighting
- Shadows
- Excessive dust
- Noise
- Temperature extremes
- Distractive work environment
Best Practices to Eliminate Trip Incidents from Occurring
Eliminating trip hazards is relevantly simple compared to some workplace hazards. Here are a few ways to lessen the chance someone is injured at your workplace due to a trip incident.
- Eliminate as many trip hazards through proper housekeeping and work area setup. Poor housekeeping leads to the majority of trip hazards in most workplaces.
- Paint or mark changes in elevation with bright paint or signage to alert others of the danger.
- Have any open holes, cracks, spaces, etc., on walking surfaces repaired as soon as possible.
- Completely block off areas that have excessive trip hazards until fixed or addressed.
- Tape down cords to the floor or hang them up out of the way, so individuals walking through the area do not trip on them.
Summary
Do not let complacency creep in when dealing with addressing trip hazards. Do not underestimate how far simple measures such as good housekeeping practices can go in preventing injuries. Evaluate your work area today for the hazards and environmental conditions mentioned in this safety talk.
Discussion point: What are other common examples of trip hazards in this workplace?
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UD Leaps In Sustainability Rankings
The University of Delaware is recognized for our commitment to sustainability. According to Quacquarelli Symonds sustainability rankings for 2024 ranks UD at #33 in the US, 240 globally, which is a huge leap from 2023. (UDaily)
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Unsafe Conditions in the Workplace
Unsafe Conditions Safety Talk
Unsafe conditions will always exist in the world around us. That being said, it is possible to eliminate the majority of the hazards found in our workplaces in order to prevent injuries on the job. It is necessary not only to recognize that these kinds of conditions exist around you but also to take action to eliminate or mitigate them. This safety talk discusses common unsafe conditions and mitigation actions to address the conditions.
Two Common Types of Unsafe Conditions
There is an endless list of possible unsafe conditions found on the job. Two types that can be found in almost any workplace are slip, trip, and fall hazards and pinch point hazards.
- Slips, trips, and falls are responsible for many injuries on the job year after year. Many of these incidents are a direct result of an unsafe condition. Objects on the ground are a common example. Other unsafe conditions that lead to slips, trips, and fall injuries include slippery floors, unmarked changes in elevations in walking surfaces, cluttered work areas, unprotected edges, open holes, etc.
- Pinch points are also commonly found in workplaces. Pinch points are defined as any point where it is possible for a body part to be caught between moving and stationary portions of equipment. Pinch points can come in a variety of shapes and sizes. A couple of examples of unsafe conditions relating to pinch points are points of operation on machinery, unguarded moving equipment, and rotating parts.
Addressing Unsafe Conditions
Depending on what the unsafe condition is, it will determine what action is needed to correct it. A basic overview of addressing any hazard in the workplace:
- Stop and take the time to evaluate your work area and work task.
- Recognize unsafe conditions or what can possibly turn into one.
- Take action to immediately correct the condition if possible.
- Stop work and involve other personnel to have the condition corrected if the situation requires you to do so.
- Follow through to ensure any hazards you identified are properly mitigated.
- Continue to evaluate your work area throughout the workday for possible new hazards.
Summary
Unsafe conditions do exist all around us, and it is true that not every single possible hazard in life can be eliminated. However, we all can take ownership and responsibility for the work that we do to eliminate the ones we identify. Every unsafe condition that is corrected results in a lesser risk of someone being injured on the job.
Discussion point
- What are some other examples of unsafe conditions that can be found at our worksite?