The hot months, June through September, are a volatile time for on-the-job injuries and loss productivity due to the filing of workers compensation claims. Employers need their staff on site, not on the mend. For employers, hurt staff often leads to lost revenue.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 40% of the injuries sustained were sprains, strains and tears. An added 11% were surface wounds like scrapes or abrasions and 10% of the injuries were open wounds like punctures or cuts.
Injuries are costly
In 2017, the National Safety council reported that workplace injury costs totaled over 161 billion dollars. The factors they used to compile this impressively large figure were lost wages, lost productivity, medical expenses, vehicle damages and the cost the employer had to pay. If you were to add the cost of training employees to cover for those lost to injury and overtime wages to cover their responsibilities, this number would be quite a bit higher, which is hard to imagine.
Tips to help business owners decrease workplace injuries
- Hire Smart: Staff with more experience tend to claim fewer workers comp claims that first-year employees. Make workplace safety inquiry paramount during the interview process.
- Safety training: Make sure your employees understand the protocol to follow during an emergency, all safety rules that apply to their duties, how to properly use the equipment and machinery and which protective gear to wear when doing certain tasks.
- Have an eye on the operation: Whenever possible, be present on site and monitor your employees to ensure they are being safe. Smart hiring is part of this process as well. If you hire smart, so much supervision should not be necessary.
Businesses often have certain protocols for their employees to follow if they’re injured on the job. If a workplace injury does occur, make sure your staff is aware of the protocol, so the safety of the employee and the company aren’t at risk.
