Workers want to feel safe in the workplace, regardless the degree of perceived danger their occupation may have. While many of us expect companies to actively mitigate injuries, accidents do happen.
In fact, the National Safety Council (NSC) – an organization aimed at eliminating preventable workplace mortality – says someone is injured at their job every seven seconds in the U.S.
How do those injuries add up?
Seven seconds is not a long time. That means there are:
- 510 injuries per hour
- 12,600 per day
- 88,500 per week
- 6 million per year
In 2017, this added up to over 100 million lost production days due to injuries. Almost all of these incidents were avoidable.
Who is at a greater risk?
The NSC compiled the top five occupations with the largest volume of work-related injuries that led to missed work days. They are, in order:
- Public service (such as firefighters, police officers, etc.)
- Transportation and shipping services
- Manufacturing and production
- Installation, maintenance and repair
- Construction
However, the council’s statistics should be worrisome for everyone. While some jobs can be more dangerous than others, the sheer volume of injuries makes it clear this problem impacts a myriad of industries.
How do we stop this trend?
We can all improve workplace safety through our own choices. This is ultimately the responsibility of employers, but simple, individual decisions can make a difference. The NSC asks employees to pledge the following:
- Never compromise your own safety or the safety of co-workers for the sake of finishing a task or job
- Actively look for hazards, report them immediately and warn others of potential risks
- Be a good safety role model on and off the clock
In the time it took to read this post, at least 15 people could have been injured at their job based on current statistics. Let’s all work to bring that number down to zero.