Each year, millions of workers suffer injuries in the workplace. The below are the three most occurred injuries.

1. Overexertion Injuries – This includes injuries related to pulling, lifting, pushing, holding, carrying, and throwing activities at work.
2. Slipping/Tripping – The number 2 cause of workplace injuries, this pertains to falls on wet and slippery floors or trips over something lying on the floor.
3. Falling from Heights – This type of fall happens from an elevated area such as roofs, ladders, and stairways. They can be caused by slip and fall accidents or due to faulty equipment.
Typical hazards/causes of cuts and lacerations

Improper training
Lack of established safety procedures
Employees in a hurry, taking short cuts or not following safety procedures
Failure to wear cut-resistant gloves or wearing improper gloves for job
Contact with metal items such as nails, metal stock or burrs
Hand tools with blades (e.g., knives, box cutters, screwdrivers, chisels)
Powered machinery with cutting blades, pinch points, chain and sprocket, conveyor belts, rotating parts, motors, presses, lathes
Handling sharp objects or material such as glass, sheet metal

Prevention strategies

The key to preventing these injuries is keeping body parts away from hazards. Employers should establish work procedures to identify and control exposure to hazards. Ask participants to suggest control measures to minimize the risk for cuts and lacerations.

Possible solutions are:

Training employees to use established safety procedures
Maintaining proper machine guarding
Using lockout procedures
Wearing personal protective equipment
Safe tool use
Good housekeeping