Some workplaces tend to be more accident and injury prone than others. Manufacturing is obviously one of the most dangerous because the workers are around machinery all day long and are likely to get repetitive stress injuries due to repeating the same motions over and over during their shifts. Other industries, like construction, landscaping, and warehousing are the same, but anyone at any company could end up with an injury. For example, those who work at computers all day can end up with carpal tunnel, which is also considered a repetitive stress injury.
Wondering how you can avoid employee accidents and injuries? And what role does your workers’ compensation insurance play in all of this? Keep reading to learn more.
Ergonomic Workplaces
Ergonomic workplaces are a relatively new trend and they’re set up to prevent repetitive stress injuries. Workers may sit at ergonomic workstations with comfortable chairs, have special keyboards and mice designed to prevent carpal tunnel, or be allowed to wear shoes or boots with extra padding and ergonomic soles if required to be standing all day. These devices may be seen as those that provide comfort, but what they really do is stop injuries from occurring. (Plus, they may entice potential employees because who doesn’t want to work in a place that respects their workers in this manner?)
Injury Prevention Plans
In addition to making your workplace more ergonomic, you can create injury prevention plans that can help keep accidents from occurring. These plans can consist of:
- A Safety Officer – This is someone who is tasked with putting safety plans in motion, as well as ensuring that employees follow the rules, like not running in certain areas of the manufacturing floor or job site.
- Signage – If a certain part of the manufacturing setup isn’t stable enough to lean on, put up a sign to keep people from doing so. Other signs can warn people about live electrical lines, water lines, wet floors, and more. The more signage, the better, as it’s been proven that they prevent injuries.
- Safety Meetings – It’s important for the safety officer to hold safety meetings on a regular basis. These meetings include information about how to stay safe in the workplace, what to do if they see someone acting in an unsafe manner, and more. Instructions like this can prevent accidents from happening.
Workers’ Compensation and Liability Insurance
Setting up an ergonomic workplace and putting together an injury prevention plan can both help lower your insurance costs. Not only do workers’ compensation and liability insurance work together to pay for injuries in the workplace, but their premiums are based on them. When you have less injuries and accidents, you’ll pay less for your insurance.
Have Questions? Contact Charlotte Insurance
Want to learn more about how to lower your insurance costs with ergonomic workplace tools and injury prevention plans? Contact Charlotte Insurance. Our agents can explore and explain all available options and put together the insurance coverage plan your business needs.