Accidents at Work

Companies know how important safety at work is. Ensuring the correct procedures are adhered to and appropriate safety clothing is worn can ensure accidents at work are a rarity.

Ensuring your employees are fully protected not only in knowledge but also with the correct safety clothing and accessories is vital. Accidents at work cost society as a whole billions of pounds in lost working hours. One way to help reduce accidents at work is with corporate safety clothing and accessories.

Workplace accidents and ill health cost society as a whole over £13 billion in 2010/2011. This is a staggering amount and the individual cost to companies can also be extensive. No matter how small, accidents at work have a significant knock on effect, not only to a company's budget, but also to the rest of the staff that may have to take on extra work or arrange cover.

The most frequent cause of injury in the workplace are manual handling, slips, trips and falls from height and the highest rates of these are in manual occupations such as agriculture, construction and transport (see details below).

• Most frequent cause of injury in the workplace are manual handling, slips, trips and falls from height
• Highest rates are in manual occupations - agriculture, construction and transport
• Higher rates for less experienced workers
• Higher rates for men than for women
• Estimated 591,000 workers had an accident in 2011/12 and 212,000 of these led to over 3 days off work and 156,000 had over 7 days off work due to their accident

As you can see from the statistics above accidents at work are not only a major issue for individual companies, but they also make a significant impact on society as a whole.

So what is the cost to a company?

It is almost impossible to estimate the cost of an injury at work would be, as each business has its own unique way of working. Some jobs are more hazardous than others and therefore are more likely to be involved in injuries at the workplace.

The most obvious is a loss of production from the person involved. They are no longer able to perform their duties therefore there is an immediate loss of production. Depending on the type of job involved, this can be very costly.

The overall cost is also long term as, depending on the severity of the accident the company will need to look into several areas.

• Wages for the lost time of any employees who work closely with the injured party. Either from helping when the initial accident happened, or from talking/filing a report on the incident and any subsequent information required after this
• Training for any replacement personnel that is required to fill in for the injured person
• Repair or replacement for any equipment
• Potential compensation which, depending on the accident could run into thousands of pounds if the company is found to be at fault

The phenomenal rise in the number of claim companies that now promise to deal with claims for any type of slip, trip or fall of any kind is testament to how much it could cost a company should a member of staff have an accident at work and decides to pursue a claim. This is why a robust health and safety procedure should be undertaken and maintained.

There are many costs associated with accidents at work. The type of business involved will ultimately dictate the overall cost to the company. A small company may feel the affect more than a larger company, however the costs will affect any business of any size. Reduced production or compensation due to an injury at work is costly no matter the size of business.

Working Days Lost To Accidents at Work

The latest information from the Labour Force Survey for 2011/12

• 4.3 million working days were lost due to injuries
• On average each person took about 7.3 days off work due to injuries. What can be done?

Ensuring your company has the correct procedures in place is vital when it comes to workplace injuries. This can take many forms which include:

• Having the correct insurance
• Ensure good housekeeping is maintained (obstacles are removed from floors, spills cleaned etc)
• Training for employees regarding safety at work with emphasis on being actively safety conscious
• Training for new employees ensuring they are aware of the areas with the highest potential safety risk. Learning from past accidents will help reduce accidents in all areas
• Regular fire drills to ensure all staff are aware of exactly what to do if there is a fire
• Regular safety checks around the workplace to ensure workplace is hazard free
• Quality training for any machinery or even regular office equipment with emphasis on safety

Any time invested in training and the correct safety equipment will not only make the workplace a safer place to be but will also help to reduce accidents at work and also help boost morale. Knowing your company cares enough about your safety will contribute to a happier and more productive workforce.