Note: This blog post is a sponsored conversation written by Lynn Smythe, the Founder and Chief Blogger for The Creative Cottage lifestyle blog. The opinions, thoughts, ideas and text are all mine.
Work safety and security in every aspect of life is the most important thing for us to maintain as human beings. It is always important for us as people to take steps to keep ourselves safe at home and in the workplace and it is something which is super important for everyone. Today we are going to talk about some of the different ways for us to stay safe at work this year.
Know How to Lift Items
This tip will sound like the most obvious thing in the world, but how many times have you really thought about your stance before you have lifted something off the ground? Unless you want to end up having to contact a lawyer like Hilda Sibrian for a workplace injury, knowing how to lift is essentials.
For example you will need to make sure that you don’t bend down from the hip. A lot of us instinctively bend with our legs straight when picking up items, but this is not safe with heavy things. Heavy items require you to bend at the knee and pick up an item with your back straight. This minimizes the risk of pulling a muscle and can be hugely important for you.
Arrange Your Work Area
Whether you sit at a desk or work in a store, it is important for you to make your work area comfortable for you and let it fit your body. For example if you work in an office you might not have enough leg room or the chair might be too low and this can cause you to strain your neck looking at your computer screens. This is why it can be handy for you to rearrange and make the space comfortable for the way you like to work. It will stop you from struggling with chronic pain and long term injuries.
Take a Break
Breaks are given to us throughout the work day for a reason. You might think that you are being a model employee for not taking your breaks and working through lunch, but this isn’t the case and you will end up making yourself ill. Make sure to take breaks every few hours to stretch your legs and avoid cramping up. Inactivity is a bad thing for your health and it can be dangerous if you do it all of the time.
Wear Safety Equipment
Although you might be worried about your outfit in the workplace and you don’t necessarily want to look silly, work safety equipment is there for a reason and you need to make sure that you wear it at all times. If you notice that you are going into a construction site or a warehouse you will need some steel toed boots, a hi-vis jacket and maybe a safety helmet and goggles too. It is always good for you to have safety equipment on as it avoids things hurting you if they fall onto you, and it also allows other workers to see where you are and avoid running you over with a forklift truck.
Do You Have a First Aider?
If you aren’t sure whether your workplace has medical personnel on site, it can be a great idea for you to ask and find out. In an emergency there will need to be someone there who is able to perform basic first aid to the employee and this can be the difference between life and death depending on the incident in question. You might even want to think about signing up for a class with the American Heart Association, or similar organization, to get first aid/CPR/AED certified .
Find Out About Health Resources
Every good workplace should have resources available for when people get injured and need some help. This can be as simple as a first aid kit or even a automated external defibrillator (AED) and it is always good for you to know where this stuff is kept in case you come to need it in the office.
Safety Guidelines
As a team leader or a boss of a company, it is your duty to provide clear rules for health and work safety and to make sure that everyone knows what they need to do to stay safe and secure in the workplace. If you haven’t already, make sure to take a health and safety talk for the office or workplace to show people how to lift items properly, how to stay safe in the workplace and what not to do. These rules can then be remembered and followed to make sure everyone is safe.
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