April is Injury Prevention Month

April is Injury Prevention Month, a good time to remind your workers of the critical role they play in the prevention of workplace injuries. Because they do the job every day, they know better than anyone else what could potentially result in a workplace injury or illness. Remind employees that they know best:

The machinery and equipment that they work with. They know if guards are missing or if extra guarding should be added. They also know if a machine is performing as safely as it should be.
If the floor in their area gets slippery and about common trip hazards in their area.
Which items in their area are heavy and should be lifted only with material-handling aids.
If safe work practices developed for their job are actually effective in preventing accidents or if they need to be improved.
About the near misses and minor first-aid injuries that employees in their work area suffer.
If the personal protective equipment (PPE) provided for their job provides adequate protection.
If the safety equipment (fire extinguishers, eyewash station) in their area is accessible and in good condition.
The tricks that make their job easier and safer.
To prevent injuries, you must tap into this vast source of worker workplace knowledge. Encourage your workers to:

Submit safety suggestions for their work areas, operations, and equipment. Instruct them in the suggestion process and where, how, and to whom to submit their ideas.
Serve on the safety committee. Let them know the goals and activities of the committee and how they can help.
Participate in safety training meetings. Urge them to pay attention, ask questions, and share insights on the training topic.
Perform daily and assigned inspections. Instruct them to inspect PPE, equipment, and their work areas before every job and every shift. They should also perform other inspections at their regularly scheduled times.
Practice good safety habits. Encourage them to follow safe operating procedures, never take short cuts, and always be thorough and conscientious in their work.
Report near misses and first-aid incidents. Remind them that knowledge is power, so sharing close calls and events that required first aid can help prevent first-time or repeat accidents.
Injury prevention requires constant diligence on the part of both management and employees. Let employees know that they have valuable input and encourage them to give it regularly and freely.

Why It Matters

Each year more than 6,000 Americans are killed on the job.
About 3.6 million suffer disabling injuries.
Employees are key players in preventing these injuries and fatalities.