Dangerous Work Environments

3 Ways to Reduce Risk In Dangerous Work Environments

According to OSHA, out of the approximately 4,100 workers killed in 2013, 20 percent were construction workers. OSHA cites the construction industry as being the most dangerous. The leading causes of worker fatalities include falls, being struck by an object and electrocution. However, most manual labor and manufacturing jobs involve unsafe work environments. Continue reading to learn three ways to reduce the risks that workers experience in dangerous work environments.

https://www.osha.gov/oshstats/commonstats.html

Employee Training
Accidents often happen because of poor decisions, misunderstandings and lack of proper training. Employees must be properly trained how to perform their required tasks in dangerous work environments. This means that new employee orientation must not consist of simply signing legal paperwork and being directed to observe co-workers and perform their job. New employee orientation must be at least a half day and involve a work site tour that highlights the locations of first aid kits, fire extinguishers and emergency exits. It should also involve

For example, OSHA expects companies to follow the general practice of making environmental or engineering adjustments first. That is, companies should first seek to make physical adjustments such as switching to environmentally friendly chemicals or having maintenance put guards on exposed conveyor belt nip points. However, certain risks cannot be eliminated. For example, lumber manufacturing facilities rely on workers to continually pull cumbersome slabs of wood off of conveyor belts and quickly stack them. Raw material processing plants require employees to work in enclosed spaces and be exposed to hazardous materials. Nonetheless, the associated hazards of dangerous environments can be minimized through proper Personal Protective Equipment