Accidents happen all the time, everywhere. A woman driving home from work may get into a car accident. A man walking down the street may trip and fall.
Some of these events are truly unpredictable and there’s nothing you can do to stop them from happening. But some common accidents can be prevented and this is what we’re going to talk about in this article.
Now, if that ship has sailed, you can contact an injury lawyer to discuss what happened. You may be entitled to compensation, especially if you’ve suffered a work injury or a car accident.
Either way, let’s go through the list of the most common accidents and what you can do to avoid them.
Accidents in your home
Did you know that, according to NSC, there were 31,800,000 medically consulted injuries in the home in 2020? Sadly, this number and the death rate increase every year, which means the home isn’t such a safe place, after all.
Here are some most common causes of preventable injury-related deaths in the home:
- Poisoning (62%)
- Falls (25%)
- Choking (3%)
- Fire flames smoke (2%)
- Mechanical suffocation (1%)
- Drowning (1%)
- Natural heat and cold (1%)
- Other causes (5%)
This is how you can prevent these from happening.
Keep potential poisons out of reach and out of sight of children.
Children, especially small children, like to touch things and put them in their mouths. You have to make sure all potential poisons and detergents, medications, and chemical products are safely put away all around the house.
Also, don’t forget that children like to climb. For that reason, it’s best to keep those things locked up.
Store potential poisons in their original containers.
A lot of people transfer dangerous chemicals into food containers like milk jugs, coffee cans, or soda bottles. Don’t do that.
After some time, you may forget what’s in there. Other family members can also get poisoned because they don’t what’s actually inside the container.
Immediately clean up spills.
Whenever you spill something and don’t clear it up right away, you risk forgetting about that and slipping later in the day. Falls can be dangerous and inflict great injuries, such as fractures and concussions.
Secure the rugs.
Rugs that aren’t secured tend to move around and cause unnecessary slips. So, buy nonskid pads or rugs with slip-resistant backings. You can also use double-sided carpet tape for that purpose.
Be careful where you put your hot cup of coffee.
Children like to play around the table. If you put your cup on a table covered with a table cloth, the child may pull on the fabric, spilling your hot drink and getting burned.
Install grab bars in the shower.
Elderly family members tend to be unsteady on their feet, so falling in the shower is possible. Grab bars can help them, especially if they don’t want any help in the bathroom.
Put away small objects if you have children.
Children are at a very high risk of choking. They’re curious and like to touch things, so small objects can be very dangerous if they put them in their mouth.
Accidents while driving
Every year, 1.35 million people are killed on roadways. Many drivers simply aren’t careful enough – they easily get distracted, fail to follow the rules, forget to put on a safety belt, and such. To make sure you and everyone else are safe while driving, follow these tips:
Pick the vehicle with suitable safety features.
This is not the time to think about saving money. A car with poor safety features can cost you your life. So, do your due diligence and make sure you’re buying a safe vehicle.
Keep your eyes on the road.
Regardless of what’s happening around you, you mustn’t get distracted. Don’t multitask, talk on the phone, or text. You can comb your hair later when you stop. Doing these things can be very dangerous. For instance, you may fail to notice someone crossing the street.
Don’t cross the speed limit.
It’s not only against the law to cross the speed limit, but it’s also dangerous for both you and other drivers. If you’re driving too fast, you may fail to slow down in time and cause an accident. Pedestrians or animals suddenly crossing the road are also in danger.
Wear your seat belt.
Wearing a seat belt is simply a must when you’re in the car. Many people get seriously injured because they fail to follow this rule. You may sustain injuries to the lungs and the ribcage because of the impact of the steering wheel or the dashboard. Even worse, you may fall out of the car completely.
Avoid tailgating.
Tailgating majorly contributes to accidents. Not keeping a minimum distance between your and someone else’s vehicle can be very dangerous. You simply won’t have enough time to react to what’s happening on the road.
To avoid that, make sure that you can see the bottom bumper of the car in front of you.
Don’t drive under the influence of alcohol.
Driving under the influence is illegal. It can impair your judgment and vision. You may also fall asleep while driving (we’ll get to that in a minute). Ask a friend to give you a lift or call a cab instead. You can come back tomorrow to pick up your car.
Avoid driving when you are sleepy.
If you’re driving long distances, you need to be well-rested. The lack of sleep will slow down your reflexes which means you won’t respond as quickly as you usually do. It’s especially dangerous if you fall asleep in the car alone. The results can be fatal.
Work accidents
As many as 2.7 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses were reported in 2020, while there were 4,764 fatal injuries in the same year. Basically, one worker dies every 111 minutes.
Many of these injuries are preventable by both employers and workers. If you’re an employer, here are some tips for you:
Look for patterns and conduct staff training.
Keep track of all injuries and how they occurred. This will help you analyze what goes wrong and what can be done about that. For instance, it may be the damaged floor covering, slippery surface, or poor lighting.
Once you’ve identified the most common causes of accidents, you can train your staff on how they can avoid getting hurt. This will ultimately lead to a safer environment.
Hire qualified workers and hire enough of them.
Unqualified workers easily get injured because they haven’t been properly trained for the job. Even when someone claims they have a certain certification or work experience, we advise you to further make sure they’re telling the truth.
Some people are just desperate to get a job, so they lie.
Also, if the workflow is inadequate, your employees are much more likely to get injured because they’re tired or in a hurry to get the job done.
Make sure the equipment is routinely maintained.
Oftentimes, the equipment, vehicles, or machinery fail because they’re not routinely maintained. To ensure this doesn’t happen, all equipment should be checked from time to time. If the workers report that something needs a repair, fix it right away.
Maintain a safe environment.
This should be a daily activity of your workers and additional staff. To maintain a safe environment, make sure that the company’s floor is clean, without any spills, incorporate a safety plan, and keep debris out of walkways.
Ultimately, you want to create a culture of safety in your company.
Encourage your employees to talk about problems.
People are often scared to come forward when a problem arises, especially if the management isn’t patient enough. To overcome this issue, make sure to hire a manager that is understanding and knows how to effectively communicate any problems that may arise.
You can also put a suggestion box in which employees can anonymously tip you if there are any problems they’re facing.
