10 tips to prevent workplace accidents

Companies that foster a culture of safety and accountability are significantly less likely to experience accidents. Not only are these companies strongly committed to safety, they also put their safe image into practice by taking safety measures. Their motivation? To keep their people safe.

A healthy attitude to work means doing the work responsibly. It is the only way to reduce the risk of physical injury or illness to an absolute minimum. This responsible attitude starts with embracing the safety DNA of the workplace itself.

Safety measures work best when you actively involve everyone in workplace safety. Making your employees aware of hazards requires more than putting up some posters and signs. It is best to organise regular safety presentations to draw attention to the safety measures.

In addition to the legal requirements and strict work rules highlighted in the presentation, simple, small changes in the safety policy can also reduce the risk of accidents. For example, always remember to keep the workplace tidy. A tidy working environment prevents accidents caused by negligence or carelessness.

People who are new to the company are most vulnerable to workplace accidents. It is therefore very important to properly train and supervise this group. These are new, permanent employees, but also temporary staff such as student workers.

Forklift drivers always have to present proof of training anyway, and it is good practice to provide new or updated courses on a regular basis. This ensures forklift drivers learn how to perform their task safely and familiarises them with the vehicle's technical aspects. The drivers can use this knowledge to check their vehicle on a daily basis before starting work. Here are some tips to help prevent forklift accidents.

If your workplace has more than 20 employees, the law requires you to appoint a health and safety manager or officer. If you employ fewer than 20 people, you can take on the role of health and safety manager yourself. As a health and safety manager, you have a number of duties, including

• Perform a risk assessment: where are there health and safety risks? This also includes psychosocial strain: bullying, inappropriate behaviour or even violence.
• Give advice on working with hazardous substances, the safe operation of machinery and equipment, safety clothing and workwear, and training.
• Keep records: prepare a health and safety plan, monthly reports, annual reports and, if the company has more than 50 employees, provide support to the health and safety committee.

As a health and safety manager, you also have the following tasks: the creation of internal, company-specific emergency procedures and the organisation of first aid and medical supervision via the occupational doctor.

People can only work safely the right personal and collective protective equipment.

Personal protective equipment, such as helmets, masks, gloves, overalls and safety shoes, is essential in any work environment. It provides additional protection to the collective protective equipment.

Collective protective equipment refers to fixed safety products installed in the workplace. It is very important because its effectiveness does not depend on human behaviour. It protects pedestrians, vehicles, infrastructure and machinery. Some examples of collective protective equipment are floor marking tapes, safety gates, bollards and wall protection … Barriers are also a good example of collective protective equipment.

You can protect machinery by installing safety fencing. This stops people from inadvertently getting too close to a machine. If you also want to protect the machine from forklifts, install safety barriers with handrails. Kick rails and wheel stops are a good way of making sure vehicles stay in their dedicated area. These are just a few safety solutions. Other solutions are available depending on your company's situation and needs.

You have to take all trucks and vans to undergo an annual vehicle inspection. However, some vehicles have to be inspected quarterly by law. These include mobile cranes, tower cranes, aerial work platforms and material hoists.

The inspection of forklifts often gets overlooked. Forklifts operate in close proximity to people and are responsible for a large proportion of workplace accidents. It is therefore advisable to have your forklifts inspected regularly and to carry out daily checks. This allows you to check that all its operations are working properly.

Agree a speed limit with your forklift drivers. An appropriate speed reduces the risk of accidents, especially in pedestrian areas. While speed arrangements are a good thing, they rely on goodwill. That is why we also recommend physical polymer safety barriers. It provides effective protection from collisions and makes drivers aware of their speed and the company safety measures.

Forklift accidents still happen frequently. A traffic plan is therefore an absolute necessity.

The basic idea of a traffic plan is to ensure that vehicles, such as forklifts, don't get close to pedestrians and vice versa. Clear agreements and clear floor marking tape do help, but if you really want to make your working environment absolutely safe, opt for physical barriers or collective protective equipment. These include safety barriers, handrails, racking protection, bollards ... Signs and floor marking tape may be manifestly present, but only physical safety barriers ensure safety and protection.

Depending on the size and type of your company, danger lurks both above and below ground. Drilling rigs and oil refineries have many ladders and platforms. The chances of someone take an unfortunate fall are much higher in such environments than in companies where almost everything happens at ground level. Equip your cage ladders with fall protection to prevent workers from taking a deep fall because they are briefly distracted. Handrails with an additional kick rail can also provide protection at height. If the work is done on a damp or slippery surface or there is often dust on the floor, reduce the risk of slips and falls by fitting anti slip applications. We have some tips to avoid slips and falls here.

If an accident does happen, check carefully about how it happened and how you can prevent it from happening again. Can you make the area or machine where the accident happened safer? Are there adequate signs? Are the workers aware of the potential hazards? You can't eliminate accidents completely, but you can prevent them from happening a second time.