National Safety Month 2023

National Safety Month 2023
Resources

June 2, 2023

Resource: Blog Industry: AEC, Commercial Enterprise, Industrial
Tags: Online Training, Prevention, Safety

This June, Vector Solutions is celebrating National Safety Month, an annual effort by the National Safety Council (NSC) to promote safety awareness. We’ve gathered valuable information and a range of resources to support ongoing safety efforts at your organization. These resources will empower you to create a safer work environment for your employees and promote a culture of safety. 

National Safety Month 

National Safety Month was established in 1996 to increase awareness of workplace safety and health risks and prevention strategies. It also aims to reduce the number and severity of hazards that workers encounter in the summer months, such as heat-related illness and injury. Regardless of your industry, National Safety Month is a valuable time to remind your employees of workplace safety hazards and best practices. 

Each week of National Safety Month has a different theme. This year, they are as follows: 

  • Week 1: Emergency Preparedness 
  • Week 2: Slips, Trips, and Falls
  • Week 3: Heat-Related Illness
  • Week 4: Hazard Recognition 
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Week 1: Emergency Preparedness

Every year, workplace emergencies cause thousands of injuries and deaths in the United States. The best time to prepare for an emergency is before danger is imminent, but with so many potential threats from cyberattacks or natural disasters to physical threats like a fire or an active shooter, it can be overwhelming to consider all the possibilities and determine how best to respond. While we can’t know exactly what’s coming, we can prepare for what we’ll do when it does, which is a critical factor in surviving the challenges our organizations face.

Developing an Emergency Action Plan and training employees in the responsibilities and roles they’ll play during an unexpected event goes a long way toward preventing severe employee injuries and damage during emergencies.

Relevant Vector Solutions resources include:

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Week 2: Slips, Trips, and Falls

Slips, trips, and falls (STFs) are a leading cause of work-related injuries, and the second leading cause of workplace fatalities, and are significant concerns for both employers and employees. They can lead to injuries, lost productivity, and increased workers' compensation costs, with the average cost of a slip, trip, and fall injury reaching up to $20,000 according to EHS Today. Falls stand as the primary cause of workplace injuries and frequently result in cuts, bruises, fractures, back injuries, sprains, and strains. It is possible to prevent and safeguard against fall hazards with the right training and good housekeeping practices - alert others, place warnings in the area, block off the area, try to correct safety issues if possible, and alert supervisors so they can correct them if you can't. 

Relevant Vector Solutions resources include:

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Week 3: Heat-Related Illness

Heat-related illnesses include various conditions such as heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat rash, and heat stress. These illnesses arise from prolonged exposure to high temperatures and can have serious health consequences. It’s crucial to take preventive measures and have workers seek immediate medical attention if any signs of heat-related illnesses are observed, such as:

  • Confusion
  • Fainting
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Dizziness
  • Seizures
  • Excessive sweating or red, hot, dry skin
  • Very high body temperature

Effective training can help enhance awareness, preparedness, and the overall safety of workers in preventing and responding to heat-related illnesses.

Relevant Vector Solutions resources include:

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Week 4: Hazard Recognition

One of the “root causes” of workplace incidents is the failure to identify or recognize hazards that are present, or that could have been anticipated. A hazard is something that can cause harm in one way or another--a fatality, an injury, an illness, property damage, or damage to the environment. When safety and health training is done correctly, it's done to inform people about hazards at the workplace and the best ways to work safely to protect oneself from those hazards. By understanding and addressing the types of situations and conditions that can result in an employee injury or illness, we can proactively prevent incidents, injuries and create a safer work environment.

Relevant Vector Solutions resources include:

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Contact us today to learn how we can help.

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