INTRODUCTION

Accidents in the workplace happen more often than you think. There are a number of risks and hazards that may be present in the workplace, especially when working at heights or other areas where falling or coming into contact of hazardous materials is commonplace. It is you and your employer’s utmost priority to ensure that the environment that you work in, is one which is safe so that accidents and injuries can be avoided. In the case of an accident, your team should have a practiced procedure to deal with any emergency that results.

DEFINITION OF ACCIDENTS

Accident is an unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, typically resulting in damage or injury. It is an event that happens by chance or that is without apparent or deliberate cause.

TYPES OF MECHANICAL WORKSHOP ACCIDENTS

Slip and Falls

Many different factors in a workplace can cause a slip and fall including wet floors or icy surfaces scattered debris and cords uneven or unstable walking surfaces and poor lighting. A fall can lead to severe injuries, including broken bones, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury and soft tissue damage such as a torn or strained ligament.

Many slip and fall are preventable. Employers should train and equip staff to promptly clean up spills, debris and tracked-in rain or slush. Facility managers should mark uneven decks, flooring and other hazards that cannot be promptly addressed. Also, companies should put non-slip mats in doorways and other areas where the surface could become slick.

Falls from Heights

Falls are a leading cause of worker deaths in the construction industry. Every day, construction workers face the risk of falling from roofs, ladders, scaffolding, platforms, stairways and other raised or elevated surfaces. These falls often are the products of poorly built structures and inadequate or improperly used safety equipment.

To prevent these accidents, OSHA requires fall protection for workers at who operate at certain heights or above certain types of dangerous equipment and machinery. Safety training and employee diligence can also reduce fall-related injuries.

Electrocution

Workers can suffer electrocution-related injuries from working around exposed cords or wires. Faulty electrical outlets can also cause harm. In some cases, workers suffer electrocution from working around power lines or hitting underground cables as they dig. Employers should make sure that all electrical hazards are identified and give their workers proper warnings.

Overexertion

Pulling, lifting, pushing, holding, carrying and throwing activities are the most common causes of job-related injuries. Overexertion injuries may occur in a single incident. They can also be cumulative, or the result of years of engaging in the same strenuous activity on a daily basis. A worker who slips or trips without falling can also injure muscles, tendons or ligaments.

Overexertion can lead to lasting physical harm, ranging from lower-back injuries to chronic joint pain caused by wear and tear. To avoid overexertion, employers should train workers on how to properly perform physical tasks like heavy lifting. They should also provide assistive equipment and give workers ample break time.

As with external overexertion hazards, workers should be trained, provided assistive and protective gear and allowed breaks. Hazards like slippery, cluttered or uneven surfaces should be promptly cleaned and/or labeled.

Struck by Objects

Being hit by an object that has fallen from above or thrown by a person or machinery can cause serious injury. Falling, flying, rolling or swinging objects can cause blunt-force trauma such as fractures, internal organ injuries, eye injuries, cuts and bruises. The most common injury from a fallen object is a head injury.

Struck-by injuries can be prevented by storing or stacking materials safely and by posting warning signs where falling debris is likely. Management should also ensure that employees use appropriate protective equipment such as hard hats and eye protection.

Struck Against

A worker who unintentionally runs into or gets pushed into a wall, door, cabinet, window, machinery or a vehicle may suffer head, knee, neck or foot injury. Sometimes, these accidents happen because workers simply fail to pay attention to where they are going. For instance, over the past 15 years, the use of cell phones has increased eight-fold in the U.S., and instances of walking into walls and other motionless objects has increased correspondingly, according to the National Safety Council.

To reduce the risk of these accidents, companies should require workers to maintain a work environment that is free of clutter and where hazards and obstacles are clearly marked. Additionally, companies should have policies in place that prohibit workers from talking or texting on phones while engaged in work activity.

8. Entanglement

Gears, rollers and other parts of heavy machinery can entrap workers and cause a variety of tearing and crushing injuries. In the worst cases, a worker may suffer a loss of limb or die from his or her injuries. Typically, loose clothing, shoes, jewelry, fi­ngers or unbound hair getting caught in machinery causes this type of accident.

Employer should train workers to recognize and address potential entanglement hazards. The should also provide their employees with protective equipment and put up appropriate signs and barriers around potentially dangerous machinery.

Repetitive Motion

Repetitive motion injuries are a type of cumulative trauma. They are caused by excessive repetition of small-range or micro tasks such as working on an assembly line or typing or using a mouse at a computer. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a form of nerve damage caused by repetitive motion. Employees should be trained in proper ergonomic work technics and provided ergonomically correct equipment, as well as break time, in order to prevent these injuries from happening.

Violence

Violence can erupt from disputes that arise on the job between co-workers. A worker may also bring a domestic violence issue to the workplace. Workers who deal with the public, including delivery personnel, may face assaults from customers or others as well as attacks by dogs. Employers should provide violence training to their workforce, create communication channels for reporting suspicious activity and encourage such communications.

PREVENTION OF MECHANICAL WORSHOP ACCIDENTS

There are some very basic and general actions that you can take in an effort to ensure that workplace accidents and injuries don’t happen to you. Putting these tips into practice will help you and your coworkers avoid costly accidents:

• Remain alert while you’re on the job. Stay awake and stay alert while you’re performing your duties so that you can enhance your performance and well as avoid being hurt or causing hurt to others.
• Always work in the proper dress code. You need to wear the appropriate safety uniform and other protective equipment when you’re working – they’re meant to protect you.
• Be an active listener and participant in emergency drills so that you’ll know how to act in the event that an actual emergency arises.
• Communicate with your supervisor, concerning the possible risks of doing certain tasks that you feel might expose you to great danger.
• You may enjoy the thrill of a challenge at work, but taking a high-risk job that you haven’t been trained for, is a huge NO. Avoid doing this, because it will expose you and others to great danger.
• Stick to the safety program of your workplace, which is mandated by your employer.
• Ensure that you stay aware and able to identify possible causes of accidents so that you can report it to your supervisors in order for them to resolve the issue.
• Observe the post signs or rules that you should observe in order to avoid a possible accident on the job. If they aren’t visible or easy to understand, you should report this to management.
• Join with your co-workers to form an emergency team so that you can monitor possible hazards at work and jump into action in the event of an emergency.
• Ensure that you never do anything that puts your health and safety at risk. Always make your health and safety a priority.
• When you are not unsure about how to proceed in a task, ask lots of questions.

RECOMMENDATION

1. One should not leave the machine ON even after the power is OFF and until it has  stopped running completely.
2. Operator should not talk to other industrial persons when he is operat ing a machine.
3. One should not clean, adjust or repair any machine while it is running.

REFERENCES

Cox, S. & Cox, T. (1991) The structure of employee attitudes to safety – a European example Work and Stress, 5, 93 – 106.

“Benefits and costs: Leading health and safety at work”. www.hse.gov.uk.

estudiomma (2019-07-19). “Accidente de Trabajo in Itinere O No | Art”. abogados online.

“Brit Olivia Jackson, 32, from Buckinghamshire, crashed into a metal camera arm while shooting a high-speed motorbike chase in September”. 2015-12-21.

“Pro Skier Dies During Film Shoot for Ubisoft’s New Game Steep”.