Workplace accidents are sadly all too common, even in working environments which seem totally harmless. It is so easy to trip, slip or fall if a spillage occurs or if a step is hidden by inadequate lighting. The consequence is an employee who is ruled out of work for a prolonged period of time as they recover from the injury, while the employer could easily be subjected to a lawsuit if the injured party feels that they didn’t do enough to safeguard against health and safety hazards in the workplace.

This infographic from Union Quay Medical Centre looks at the most common health and safety hazards at work and analyses the various control measures that can be implemented. Total elimination of a hazard should be the objective, but it might not always be attainable. In such cases, isolation or substitution of the hazard is the next best option.

Employers and employees must know their respective responsibilities regarding workplace health and safety. The employer has a duty to minimise risk in the workplace, but employees also bear responsibility of their own not to act recklessly or even accidentally compromise the safety of other people in the working environment.

Losing a valuable team member for several weeks due to a broken leg sustained from a lingering water spillage does not benefit anyone in a company, so we should have zero tolerance for any scenario which could in any way endanger the health and safety of people in the workplace.