6 Things You Need To Watch Out For While At Work

6 Things You Need To Watch Out For While At Work

You’re working at your desk, and suddenly you feel a sharp pain in your back. You reach around to rub the sore spot and feel something wet.  You check your hand, and you can see that it is in blood. You’ve been stung by an insect!

This is the sort of thing you need to watch out for when you are at work. There are dozens of things that could make your workday dangerous, like insects, falling objects, and hazardous substances. You may not think about it while at work. But, you need to watch for these things that could hurt you.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the US, there were 5,333 fatal work injuries in 2019, which is a 2 percent increase from 2018.

NATIONAL CENSUS OF FATAL OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES IN 2019

Also, International LAbour Organization (ILO) estimates that 2.3 million women and men around the world die from work-related accidents or diseases every year. According to them, this is over 6000 deaths every single day.

Here are six things to watch out for when you are at work:

1. Falling Objects

One of the worst parts about working in construction(if you are) is that you never know what’s going to fall on your head while you’re up there. The same thing goes for anyone who works in a factory or other high-up place. It can be dangerous if an object falls and hits you. You may not see it coming, but take precautions such as wearing a hard hat, so you don’t get hurt.

2. Bad Air and Gases

Poisonous gases and other air pollutants can be hazardous to your health if you’re around them for too long. This includes methane gas, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen sulfide. You need to use protective equipment like a respirator or mask so these chemicals don’t negatively affect you as much as they could. People who work in the corporate world many times are too bothered about this. At the same time, there’s no harm in learning what preventive measures you need to take when there is a leak.

3. Electrical Hazards

Electrical hazards happen when you come into contact with something like an electrical wire damaged or faulty. You might not notice this, but the wire could shock you. Especially if it’s giving off electricity at the moment of contact. Even if it doesn’t shock you, simply touching it and getting some of it through your body means serious risk.

Electricity can kill, so make sure your work area is safe from any electrical hazards, especially. Before starting the job, use rubber mats or switch off all electricity before starting something like plumbing or wiring. In the event where you get your injury, the law professionals at https://www.mkhlawyers.com/ stress how important it is to hire the right personal injury lawyer to help you get justice and necessary compensation.

It’s best not to touch the wire if you’re not an electrician, but if you are, make sure to wear gloves so it doesn’t affect you as much. You also need to use all the necessary safety electrical equipment before touching wires – naked ones especially. Electrical hazards can take anyone by surprise. This is also happening to the professionals in their sphere. Always be on the watch out for it.

4. Loose and Unsecured Structures

Loose and unsecured structures could collapse at any time and hurt anyone underneath them or next to them when they fall down due to wind or something hitting their support structure. This means that those working in construction sites should try extra hard to keep structures stable and secure all the time until such a point as they’re finishing with them completely. If you work somewhere like an office environment where buildings are always coming down(joking, please don’t sue me), you should also be on the lookout for tell-tale signs that something isn’t stable and may collapse.

5. Leaking Water and Pipes

Leaks can be dangerous, especially if they start spurting out hot water or steam (which is why you should never try to fix the leak yourself). If your work involves working with water (like cleaning, etc.), you must ensure to keep this hazard under control and take all necessary precautions.

Leaking Water and Pipes at Work

Leaking water and pipes are a common risk to people who work in construction or do other types of plumbing and apart from the fact that it is dangerous, it can also cause damage and increase the water bill, so keeping a close eye on it is important.

6. Unsafe Machines and Devices

Unsafe machines and devices are one of the riskiest things you need to watch out for while at work. You should not use any machine or device if you don’t know what you’re doing. Especially if they seem faulty or hazardous in any way. If this is your profession, then knowing how specific safety equipment is supposed to be is crucial because some have been tampered with by previous users who were reckless enough not to check them first before using them. This means they could collapse as soon as someone tries to operate it.

There are many more hazards at work, but these six things definitely top the list. You shouldn’t have to worry much about the hazards mentioned above if you work in an office because they likely won’t affect you. You can find most of these risks in construction sites or industrial sites. There have heavy machinery and heavy physical labor as a work process. If you work in this type of environment, make sure to check up on your employer’s safety standards before getting started on the job so that you don’t get injured while working – even if they were doing something as simple as changing a light bulb.