Why Safety Education Plays a Key Role in Injury Prevention

On-the-job injuries may occur because employees do not recognize the risks, do not follow proper safety rules/procedures, and workers can overlook the dangers. Safety education helps employees understand the importance of following safety procedures and gives them the knowledge they need to make better decisions regarding their safety and the safety of others.

Increased Safety Awareness Helps Reduce Accidents

There is no benefit in having a safety procedure manual put away on a shelf, collecting dust, being unread, unused, and not kept up-to-date. Instead, having active safety awareness training for new hires and continuing safety education for existing employees is a better strategy.

Safety training includes instructions about the proper use of tools, materials handling, and awareness of dangerous environmental conditions. Safety education trains employees to spot problems before they create more serious issues and to make wiser decisions, even when stressed.

Increased employee awareness is the first step in reducing accidents, such as a worker noticing spills that can cause a slip and fall accident or faulty equipment that needs maintenance before use.

Not only does it make logical sense to have safety awareness training, but it is worth the investment because accidents at work may cause significant liability exposure for the business owner.

Even if the business owner maintains insurance, a serious accident or death that is a covered claim will cause an increase in the cost of having insurance coverage. So, it is far better to reduce accidents with an investment in safety awareness training.

Repetition Creates Desired Habits

Safety training under the guidance of a qualified expert turns an organization's safety methods and procedures from things to memorize to practical applications of how to use safety techniques under actual work conditions.

Practicing safety procedures turns rules into beneficial routines. Repetition of safety methods creates desired behaviors in employees so that they happen automatically. For example, knowing proper lifting techniques and practicing them so that they create a "muscle memory" in the trainee's body is very helpful.

Another example is when employees are familiar with the personal protection equipment (PPE) requirements for specific tasks, they are more likely to use proper PPE and less likely to take risky shortcuts.

Offering employees high-quality safety training creates a company culture based on safety standards and encourages employees to speak out when facing hazards or unsafe work conditions.

Safety training is an ongoing effort as there are always new tools, new procedures, new processes, and new risks to consider in any thriving business.

Accident Prevention Saves Money

Serious accidents may be very expensive in terms of liability, medical costs, downtime, and investigations. Moreover, a bad accident can significantly harm employees' morale.

By having a comprehensive accident prevention program, a business may avoid costly accidents. When a company carries the proper workers' compensation insurance, an accident claim may be limited to the benefits allowed in the workers' compensation insurance program.

When to Talk to a Personal Injury Lawyer

If you have been seriously injured at work, you should get a consultation with a personal injury law firm like Frost Law Firm, PC to learn more about your rights and to know if your case is being handled properly. It is wise to speak with a personal injury attorney before you sign any paperwork, especially if an insurance adjuster is pressuring you to accept a "fast" settlement.

You may also need help if you believe you have a legitimate claim, but it is denied. A consultation with an attorney can help you understand if your claim has merit and whether it is worth pursuing legal action to preserve your rights. For example, you may need a lawyer if you work in a place with a callous disregard for worker safety and you suffered from an injury.

In some circumstances, the problems may include negligence, illegal behavior, and violations of occupational safety (OSHA) requirements, which may be required by law for some jobs.

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