How To Avoid the 5 Most Common Summer Workers’ Comp Claims
Regardless of the time of year, when considering the common risks involved in owning a business, you have to always keep in mind the safety of your employees. Summer can, however, present unique risks with its high temperatures, busy journey times, and possible heavy storms. As a business owner in the summer, steps should be taken to ensure that your employees are as safe as possible against these unique risks. You can prevent Several common worker injuries and illnesses with the right strategies and forethought.
What is Workers’ Compensation?
Workers’ compensation is a type of commercial compensation that provides benefits for employees who are injured or become ill on the job. As an employer, you are required by national laws to take responsibility for all injuries incurred by your employees in their job. To avoid too many expenses, business owners opt for workers’ compensation insurance. This type of insurance will help you cover any medical costs incurred from an employee’s injuries as well as avoid lawsuits.
In case of death, despite whose fault it might be, workers’ compensation insurance provides death benefits for the deceased employee’s dependents.
1. Heatstroke
The medical term for heatstroke is hyperthermia, which can be fatal. During summer, heatstroke is one of the most common workers’ compensation claims. A lack of hydration usually causes it. During hot seasons, even the hydrated employees are prompt to suffer from it. Employees who work in a hot environment without adequate water breaks, shades, or rest tend to suffer from increased heart rates, fevers, inability to sweat, among many others. It is essential to nub these conditions before they get out of hand.
To effectively prevent heat stroke, allocate adequate breaks for resting and provide enough water for all employees. Furthermore, allocating a buddy system will help make sure that employees take breaks from their daily work.
2. Dehydration
Although related to heatstroke, you should treat dehydration with great caution. If you have employees working during summer, they naturally need to consume large amounts of water to stay hydrated. Failure to do so could lead to dehydration symptoms like exhaustion, nausea, and lightheadedness.
Ensure that your business establishment has several freshwater dispensaries or outlets easily accessible to employees. As mentioned in the first point, incorporate a buddy system to encourage workers to take frequent water breaks.
3. Cancer
Though it’s easy to remember sunblock when partaking in leisure activities like going to the beach, people who use sunscreen often forget to apply it when doing their jobs. This lack of sunscreen application during outdoor work-related activities may lead to sunburns and increased cancer risk.
Develop policies that make sure employees wear sunscreen and protective gear in all outdoor working environments.
4. Traffic Injuries
Traffic injuries are more common during hot summer because most workers prefer working outdoors during this season. This uptick in outside work leads to heavy traffic that is easily prone to accidents. Traffic injuries are not limited to just road traffic areas; employees who work on construction sites are likely to be affected by them too. Make sure that proper and clear signs are deployed in these areas.
Finally, it would help if you also implemented a traffic control team using relevant signs and road cones. Delegating this task so that traffic control is implemented during road work will help you prevent worker-related injuries and alleviate traffic jams.
5. Slips and Falls
Even though slips and falls are common work-related injuries throughout the year, they tend to increase during summer. This increase is because, during summer, the warmer air evaporates more water into the atmosphere. This rainy weather will increase the slipperiness of outdoor floors and uneven grounds. In case of roof leaks, the indoor areas will be affected too.
All employees should follow a strict code of outdoor footwear to avoid unnecessary slips and falls that could be dangerous. You should also ensure that all your roofs are regularly checked for leaks and repaired if any are found to cause wet floors when raining.
Take Precautions During the Summer
Summertime hosts perfect weather for outdoor leisure activities like going to the beach with friends or taking your family on vacation. It also rapidly influences an increase in the number of workers’ injuries. Therefore, you must take all the necessary precautions this summer to avoid preventable workers’ compensation claims.
