5 Ways You Can Get Injured In Your Workplace

When most people think of injuries at work, they think of people involved in heavy machinery or automation lines, or workers at construction sites or laboratories, where the risk of injury is high. However, many injuries can take place in an actual office, and they can be just as debilitating.

Some of these injuries are even more common than you would think, despite easy prevention methods or simple common sense. Here are five ways to get injured in the workplace and what to do once you are injured.

1. Falls:

Falls are not only common in the workplace, they are also debilitating. Workers can trip over desks, chairs, loose wires, and errant objects. Thankfully, the fixes are quite easy, and by cleaning up after yourself and others and reporting any loose wires or unstable carpet to people who can fix it can help reduce fall risk.

2. Lifting objects:

Lifting heavy loads such as old computer monitors or boxes of paper, or moving office equipment can provide the potential to damage your back. Be sure to ask for help if a load seems to be too heavy. If you can’t get help to follow these rules for lifting: Be sure to use your legs and squat down to be level with the objects, lift with your legs and not your back, and then keep your back straight.

3. Overexertion:

With more and more people spending time in the office, posture problems from sitting too long, having an improper workstation, or being uncomfortable in a chair are becoming more and more common. Changing up the desk or work environment to be more comfortable, as well as standing up and taking frequent breaks if you are stationary for a long period will help keep the blood flowing.

4. Lighting problems:

With more people pulling late nights and staring at a computer screen, vision problems and headaches, as well as a lack of sleep are becoming common. Adjusting the brightness on your screen to become lower throughout the day will support your eyesight, as well as adjusting blinds to allow the correct amount of natural light inside

5. Falling objects:

Objects falling from shelves can either provide a fright to those standing nearby or can cause some serious injury to those who happen to be underneath it. Providing proper training on how to store items in cupboards and shelves, as well as keeping the heavy items low so they won’t fall, will prevent this injury.

Workplace injuries can still happen despite the strictest safety measures, and when you do suffer a debilitating injury, seeking medical help and perhaps even a lawyer will be prudent. A specialized slip and fall lawyer can work with you if you believe the injury was due to negligence. This will allow you to receive pay and any lost wages due to the injury.

Injuries, despite how hard we try, can’t be prevented entirely and having a lawyer to advise you through the process of recovering wages is definitely something to look into.

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