Safety Hazards in the Workplace and How to Avoid Them

Hello new comers, my name is [redacted] and I am an Occupational Health and Safety Officer from TKW Industries. Today we will be discussing how not to die in the workplace and how to prevent these issues from arising. Recently there has been more incidents happening in cafes, restaurants and hotels, although these all seem like safe places, you can get life threatening injuries for example, falling down stairs. Now you must be asking yourself, how does someone do that, but trust me it can happen.

The three hazards I will be discussing are lacerations and burns, slips, trips and falls and the dangers of cleaning products. I’m guessing you’re not wanting to die any time soon, that’s why occupational health and safety is so important for all. Before we get started, I have a few questions to ask..,.Have you ever been seriously burnt? Or cut yourself? Then you would know how painful it is.

Firstly, lacerations can be very serious, they are an injury to the skin, which results in the skin being cut or torn open.

Burns can also be extremely dangerous when they occur. Second degree burns can affect the epidermis, which is the lower layer of skin. This causes pain, redness, swelling and blistering, Third- degree burns go through the dermis and affect deeper tissues, and result in white or blackened, charred skin. In order to avoid these injuries, some procedures are to be put in place. Here is a video about what not to do and how to avoid these.

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Secondly, slips, trips and falls are the one of the most likely incident to occur in the hospitality industry. Each year slips, trips and falls result in thousands of preventable injuries. The injuries that can result from these hazards are musculoskeletal injuries, cuts, bruises, fractures and dislocations, but more serious injuries can also happen. In the years 2003 to 2019, these hazards caused the deaths of 386 workers (Slips, trips and falls, 2019).

In order to minimise the risk of these hazard happening, the workplace should keep walking surfaces clean and clutter free, run cables behind walls and under carpets and additionally there should non-slip floor mats and non-slip shoes provided. By enforcing these procedures less accidents will happen in the workplace. Thirdly, cleaning products can have a serious effect on your skin, hair and eyes. Many cleaning substances are hazardous, as they are corrosive and can cause skin and eye burns if splashed onto the body. With no proper control, some cleaning products may cause dermatitis or other skin irritations. Dermatitis is dry, sore, flaky skin which needs to be treated by doctors. Vapours and fumes in cleaning products may cause headaches and respiratory problems if over sprayed, or used without adequate ventilation or is sprayed onto hot surfaces, for example improperly using oven cleaner.

Furthermore, long-term exposure may cause chronic effects on the body such as cancer. In order to reduce these incidents from occurring, employees should use the least hazardous products, read labels and material safety data, use personal protection equipment (PPE) such as gloves. eye protection, medical masks and aprons. Some cleaning chemicals can have a hazardous reaction when experiencing extreme temperature fluctuations. As a result of this, cleaning products should also be stored in a clean, cool, dry space. This additionally helps prevent any fumes from spreading to other areas of the workplace. To conclude. occupational health and safety is crucial in the workplace and can have serious outcomes if not followed. The responsibilities of the employees and employers are very serious and should always be followed otherwise lacerations and burns, slips, trips and falls and dangerous cleaning products can occur and have serious outcomesi