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The month of June is the annual observance to help everyone remain safe at the workplace and beyond.
This year, the National Safety Council, the initiator of National Safety Month, is highlighting four key areas during June, with one area highlighted each week.
Four Key Safety Areas:
• Musculoskeletal Disorders
• Workplace Impairment
“With the best ideas, the right tools and everyone showing up to redefine what’s possible, no safety challenge will be too big for us to overcome, from the workplace to anyplace,” according to Lorraine Martin, President and CEO, National Safety Council on the NSC website.
Musculoskeletal disorders, or MSDs, are a leading cause of injury at workplaces and cost billions each year in worker compensation and lost productivity, according to the NSC. OSHA says work-related MSDs affect the muscles, nerves and tendons, musculoskeletal system and connective tissue and can include sprains, strains, tears, herniated discs, carpal or tarsal syndrome, and pain, swelling and numbness. Back disorders are one of the leading causes of disability for people in their working years and afflict over 600,000 employees each year according to NIOSH. Therefore, putting systems in place to prevent these injuries is imperative to worker and business safety and productivity.
Worker impairment is a serious workplace issue, and violation, as well. Although workers should know about the dangers of substance use on the job and off, many don’t realize that fatigue and stress cause impairment as well. It is important that workers and their families recognize those subtle signs and are able to address the issues.
Ultimately, preventing injury is the name of the game in safety. Therefore, it is imperative that workers can easily identify workplace hazards and assess any risks. Regular safety/tool talks are a key way for preventing workplace injuries, thereby enabling workers to refresh their safety knowledge.
Lastly, according to the NSC, falls are the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death and can be prevented with education and the correct safety equipment. Therefore, it is important that everyone knows how to reduce slips, trips and falls and the ways technology and safety equipment can save lives by preventing falls from heights.
The OSHA website provides a wealth of knowledge and ways for businesses and workers to keep safety at the forefront. United Tool and Fastener offers a wide array of safety products from some of the best companies in the market. For more information about the various safety products we sell, please reach out to a UT&F showroom in Houston at 713-692-2323; in San Antonio at 210-495-8665; or in College Station at 979-731-8665.
