Week 30: Incident Prevention

Incident Prevention

Objective: To familiarize employees with common safe practices for preventing workplace incidents

An incident is an event that causes injury or death to people or damage to property. All employees share the responsibility to help avoid incidents and keep the workplace safe. The following practices will help you to minimize the chances of a workplace incident.

Safe Practices

  • Watch for unsafe working conditions or other hazards, and report them immediately.
  • You are in a position to notice safety measures that are difficult to follow or processes that could be improved. If you have ideas for improvement, please communicate them to your supervisor.
  • Perform every task using safe, approved methods, and follow your supervisor’s instructions. Do not take shortcuts.
  • Assure that you have completed all required training before beginning a task.
  • Before beginning work, assure that you are wearing the proper personal protective equipment (PPE). In addition, do not wear loose clothing, hair, or jewelry around machinery.
  • Avoid buildups of clutter and debris. Always return unnecessary materials or equipment to their proper storage locations.
  • When a spill occurs, immediately follow clean-up procedures.
  • Avoid horseplay and other potentially dangerous behaviors and discourage others from engaging in them.

In the Event of an Incident or a Near Miss

  • Report both incidents and near misses immediately, even if they seem minor. A near miss is an opportunity to prevent an injury or property damage before it happens.
  • Be familiar with your organization’s Emergency Action Plan. Know how to respond and whom to report emergencies to.