Preventing injuries to employees

Every year, Church Mutual customers report more than 4,000 injuries to their employees.

Past claims provide insight into key safety issues to help prevent similar injuries. Use the following guidelines to help evaluate, develop and implement good risk management practices and procedures for your employees.

Slips, Trips and Falls on Level Surfaces

• Maintain clean working areas and walking surfaces to help eliminate slip-and-fall exposures.

• Arrange office furniture, telephone and electrical cords and office supplies to minimize slip-and-fall hazards.

• Require all employees to wear slip-resistant footwear.

• Place “Wet Floor” signs where slip-and-fall hazards exist. Keep signs in accessible locations.

Slips, Trips and Falls on Stairs or Steps

• Do not store items on stairways or hang items from the handrails.

• Provide secure, continuous handrails on each side of a stairway.

• Maintain adequate lighting on stairways, steps and landing areas.

• Promote safe handling of materials. Do not carry objects that are too large to see around.

Lifting Strains

• Conduct employee safety training sessions on back injury causes and proper lifting postures.

• Teach employees to ask for help when handling large, heavy or bulky items.

• Avoid lifting over the head or from the ground.

• Provide material-handling equipment, such as carts, to limit lifting and carrying objects.

Struck by or Collision With Objects

• Design the layout of halls, rooms and aisles to allow smooth traffic flow.

• Limit the height of stacked materials to prevent overstocking and tipping.

• Provide an adequate level of lighting within the building, along exterior sidewalks and in parking areas.

• Mark or pad obstructions that cannot be removed to help reduce the possibility of direct contact or injury if contact occurs.