Do You Have Your Employees' Backs?

There is a lot to think about when you own a business.

One of those many things is injuries. If someone is injured at your workplace, your business can be severely impacted.

This can be an employee injury or a customer one.

You can't always look out for your customers besides keeping your environment safe, but you can help your employees stay safe and injury free.

High Injury Rates Cost Big Money

According to Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety's 2014 Workplace Safety Index, overexertion and falls account for more than $25 billion in workers compensation costs in the U.S.

Overexertion includes lifting, pushing, pulling, holding, carrying and throwing and other exertion injuries include walking, sitting and standing injuries.

That is major money and you probably don't want to be contributing to that.

What Can You Do?

You can help your employees prevent some of these injuries with good training and proper equipment.

For instance, if employees are lifting heavy things, make sure they are lifting in the proper manner and wearing back support.

Some other things you can do are:

• Train employees in proper methods of doing their job - If physical labor comes into play, train them. Not only do they need to be taught how to lift, but also the best ways of doing other physical tasks. Try to update training every so often, too.

• Provide proper equipment - This includes not only back support, but also hard hats or other support and safety equipment.

• Offer supportive chairs and work stations - Maybe chairs with good support cost more, but it will be better in the long run than having employees suffer from back or other injury problems.

• Keep spaces clean - Make it a practice to keep traffic areas free from cords and make sure your carpets and flooring are in good condition. Doormats inside and outside can prevent slips and falls during bad weather.

• Have emergency procedures - Just like schools do, have a fire drill every so often. Let your employees know what to do in times of emergency, like fire or weather conditions. You want to keep everyone as safe as possible at all times.

What If Something Happens?

If a claim is made against you from someone getting hurt at work, you will have to deal with it.

Do your research and find a good lawyer; articles like “Six Tips for Choosing Personal Injury Attorneys for Back Injuries” offer good advice.

The good thing is, you can avoid a lot of preventable injuries.

Train your employees in safety measures, have good ergonomic equipment and keep your space safe.

The bad thing is that injuries do happen, and you may be liable.

If something happens, do cover yourself and take care of your employees.