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News & Knowledge » Workplace Accidents Caused By Stress, Overworking and Social Anxiety – Post COVID
Work-related accidents occur more regularly than some people might think. The UK alone sees hundreds of thousands of workplace injuries every single year, many of them being serious or fatal.
That’s why organisations need to take proper precautions when considering safety at work by following good health & safety practices. After all, employee safety is paramount to a business’ operation and success, as working days lost due to work-related injuries or illnesses can affect its bottom line.
Unfortunately, sometimes even the most prepared among us can still fall victim to accidents at work. According to national statistics provided by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) for 2019-2020:
- 6 million working people suffered from a work-related illness
- 2,446 mesothelioma deaths occurred due to past asbestos exposures (2018)
- 111 workers were killed at work
- 693,000 working people sustained an injury at work, according to the Labour Force Survey
- 65,427 injuries to employees were reported under RIDDOR
- 8 million working days were lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury
- £16.2 billion was the estimated cost of injuries and ill health from current working conditions (2018/19)
So what can employers do?
Employers are required to follow HSE regulations on assessing and mitigating risk by conducting risk assessments in the workplace. They also need to put in place adequate measures to help workers report accidents and get the help they need when an accident does occur. Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) is the law that requires employers and others in control of work premises to report and keep records of:
- work-related accidents which cause death;
- work-related accidents which cause certain serious injuries (reportable injuries);
- diagnosed cases of certain industrial diseases; and
- certain ‘dangerous occurrences’ (incidents with the potential to cause harm).
What are the common causes of workplace accidents?
The UK sees hundreds of thousands of workplace accidents every single year and here are some of the common causes:
Whatever your particular work setting is, whether it be a shop floor, a factory or in an office; tripping hazards and slippery surfaces can be encountered at some point which could lead to a workplace accident. These generally occur when there is an untidy or disorganized environment without proper display of warning signs.
Similarly, falling from height is another common injury within a workplace, if an employee is required to work from high places thus at risk of falling. These can sometimes lead to serious injuries if proper training, equipment or precautions were not put in place.
- Handling, lifting or carrying
Muscle strains are another common workplace injury if adequate training is not provided. These can be as simple as drilling down proper lifting techniques when heavy objects are involved. Injuries can occur to the neck, back and spine which in some cases can lead to long-term chronic pains.
- Being hit by falling object
Gravity has an uncanny way of making objects fall on you without adequate storage spaces or employee consciousness on placement of an object, which can lead to someone finding themselves on the receiving end of a falling object. These can be shelves or cupboards in any environment, which can lead to some unpleasant injuries, particularly if the individual is not aware of it coming.
Repetitive strain injury (RSI) is another common injury caused at work. These can be caused by performing a repetitive mechanical motion which upsets the body’s highly-tuned natural balance. The cumulative impact of RSI can lead to a more serious industrial disease.
Employers can help prevent this by encouraging appropriate breaks when necessary and providing adequate equipment to alleviate the strain.
Fights at workplaces can lead to some nasty injuries, which are not limited to employee grievances as most might think where blows are exchanged. Some job roles require employees to regularly interact with the public and can sometimes find themselves in heated situations. These can be in the retail, hospitality or the security industries as examples. Employers have a duty to limit the risk of this occurring to their employees.
Noise-induced hearing loss due to continuous exposure to loud noise is a thing of the past, right? Wrong. Even in the world we live in today, many employees are still exposed to loud noises – it simply is not as common as in the past due to the safety equipment and measures we now have.
Modern day industrial deafness can be caused from working in nightclubs, gig or event venues where loud music is constantly played – this doesn’t necessarily just impact the musicians but can also affect the hospitality staff.
Workplace accidents on the rise. Why?
With the last couple of years, there is an unprecedented pressure to work faster and longer – especially due to the recent pandemic – which is making work more dangerous for many job roles.
The way we evaluate high-risk jobs has changed in the past couple of years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jobs such as hospital staff, delivery drivers, cleaners and domestic workers, office workers and even hospitality staff are considered to be in the list of dangerous occupations.
The traditional physical risk of accidents (as listed above) persists but there has been a rise in psychosocial risks and risks associated with the digital economy. These include stress, fatigue and harassment related to the organisation of work, working hours, demands and uncertainty.
How does the rise of psychosocial risks impact accidents at work?
The greatest workplace risk today is no longer necessarily associated with falling from height or using infectious agents, but rather the increase in pressure, precarious contracts and working hours incompatible with life, which – little by little – continue to feed the invisible increase of workplace accidents.
Psychosocial risks such as stress, fatigue, bullying, harassment and violence have seen a growing contribution to mental ill health. Work-related stress is defined as “the response people may have when presented with work demands and pressures that are not matched to their knowledge and abilities and which challenge their ability to cope“ by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The UK Health and Safety Executive has identified the main work-related stress factors as:
- work demands
- employee control
- employee support
- role
- change
- relationships
Research has shown that there is a close correlation between excessive working and accidents at work. The increase in work demand can sometimes throw the employee off balance in a rush to complete jobs which would lead to them not considering their surroundings or risks that will cause a workplace injury. Fatigue can also mean the employee is less aware of their surroundings as well.
The social anxiety of returning to work post-lockdown after over a year can also lead many employees to have accidents at work. Not only is being in the workplace now a foreign concept to a lot of employees who have been working from home, there is also an element of change and adaptation with their surroundings and working methodology which are also new to them.
These can be factors such as social anxiety of interacting with colleagues you haven’t seen in a while, the exchange of face-to-face pleasantries or avoidance of them in the corridors such as the one-way system or two meter rule which a lot of businesses have incorporated can also lead to trips and falls.
In summary
Workplace accidents occur on a regular basis without adequate training, procedures and awareness from all members of staff. As a responsible employer, you should know how to identify the risks involved and provide the adequate means to protect your employees. Breaching health and safety regulations is a criminal offence as companies have a legal duty to ensure the safety of your employees.
SOURCE:
Health and safety statistics (hse.gov.uk)
Reporting accidents and incidents at work: A brief guide to the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) INDG453 (hse.gov.uk)
WHAT TO DO NEXT
If you have ever found yourself dealing with an injury at work, contact Oakwood Solicitors on 0113 200 9787 to assist you with getting the compensation you deserve.
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