Business First Family Business, Accounting, Finance, Investing, Marketing And Management
In 2008, there were more than 174 fatal injuries resulting from explosions and fires, with 18 of these occurring in the oil and gas industry. This doesn’t even account for the hundreds of other injuries that occurred due to fires and explosions in the same year.
When these injuries occur, there’s help available for victims from legal resources, such as The Doan Law Firm. However, a great way to avoid this situation altogether is to prevent workplace accidents.
In most cases, the injuries and fatalities that occur due to explosion related injuries can be prevented, but the proper steps have to be taken. Some of the ways to minimize costs related to these injuries can be found here.
Create A Culture Of Workplace Safety
It’s common to see signs that read things such as, “Safety is #1” and similar sayings at the worksite. However, you have to do more. You need to instill safety as an attitude for your staff and management personnel. This helps to encourage everyone to focus on remaining safe and avoiding injuries.
Make sure that your workplace safety requirements and goals are in written form. Pass out these documents to your workers, as well as your supervisors. Also, get to know the guidelines for the industry set by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). Once these are known, put checks and balances in place to ensure everyone is following them.
Educate Your Workers
You need to train all your workers on how to use equipment and how to perform certain tasks – especially in situations where a fire or explosion is possible. Teach your workers about the safety procedures and show them how to properly use any safety protection gear they may need.
Provide Plenty Of Breaks
When you give your workers frequent breaks, it gives them an opportunity to refresh their mind and body. If your workers become fatigued or complacent when performing repetitive tasks, this is when accidents may happen, and issues can arise.
If a person isn’t constantly aware of what’s going on, then a fire and explosion is much more likely. By providing frequent breaks, workers can essentially “reset” their mind and body, helping make everyone safer.
Provide Necessary Safety Gear
While the risk of explosions is low in an office environment, in other industries, such as the oil and gas industry, electrical industry and others, it is much higher. As a result, you need to ensure your workers always have the necessary safety gear on hand in case one of these situations arises. You also need to ensure they are trained to use it properly to protect themselves, as well as others nearby.
Know The Risks
When you get to know the risks present in your workplace, you will be better suited to prevent them. If you aren’t sure what may cause a fire or explosion, the best thing you can do is perform an audit of the equipment your workers use. Doing so will help you get to know the risks and the issues they may cause your workers.
Handling Workers’ Compensation Claims
If you have a worker who is injured due to a fire or explosion, be sure the situation is documented carefully. This will help handle a worker’s compensation case. In addition to proper documentation, you need to be diligent about exactly what you are responsible for paying.
In the long run, taking steps to prevent on-the-job injuries and fatalities due to a fire or explosion is going to be the best option. It is also the best method to prevent high costs for your business.
