Of all the crises that managers must deal with in the workplace, accidents and medical emergencies are by far the most common. While many of these are unavoidable, a significant number result because of dangerous procedures and worker error. All it takes for an employer to reduce the number of accidents at work, is to use a common sense approach to prevent accidents. Research often suggests that among the most significant factors in injuries are employee errors, procedural inefficiencies and a lack of appropriate training.

Many accidents are caused by inadequate thought given to the workplace. To remedy this, the organisation could review all of the premises and look for hazards that could cause an accident. This should be carried out at least once a month. For example, there might be wires or leads that are not properly covered or there might be unnecessary packaging lying around which could cause someone to trip. A business might also ask itself if it provides adequate clothing, seating, heating and all other necessary equipment to ensure the employees can carry out their duties.

Training is a vital part of ensuring that future accidents at work do not occur. It provides employees with the knowledge to look after themselves and take steps to ensure they are not put in harm or put others in harms way. An organisation should provide its employees with training on health and safety in the workplace. If the training relates to a particularly dangerous activity, it should be ensured that the training is repeated at regular intervals, again documenting it on each occasion. One of the most obvious risks occur when trying to lift heavy items at any time and training must be given if this is a requirement of the job description.

Organisations need to take a pre-emptive stance towards accidents at work and anticipate potential problems. For example, they should have procedures in place to ensure that any packaging removed from goods received is placed in special containers and not left lying around. Another example is if they have salesmen driving across the country, they should advise them to take rest breaks to avoid car accidents.

There are also other ways to tackle future problems that may not be so obvious. While it should be standard procedure to identify and eliminate high-risk activities, an organisation could design jobs with current and anticipated workers in mind. It could also empower employees to engage in accident prevention and job design and even to be responsible for their equipment.

Once prevention measures are in place, managers should determine what their policy is for dealing with accidents and medical emergencies. Once managers create a policy, they should review it with legal counsel and their insurance company.

Saurav is an author of several articles pertaining to No Win No Fee, Compensation Claims, Work Accident Claims, Personal Injury Claims and other legal articles.