How to Avoid Injuries From Falling Objects at Work

Some of the most damaging injuries you can get at work come from falling objects. The reason is that anything with a bit of weight can become very powerful after dropping just a few feet. When you combine mass and velocity, you get an incredibly dangerous projectile heading toward your head. This combination is a serious hazard. Here are a variety of ways in which you can protect yourself from these accidents.

Use Appropriate Gear

The first method you can utilize is using the appropriate safety gear while at work.

• Tool Lanyards - Though your tools may still fall out of your belt when using this device, they will only go a foot or two before the lanyard stops them.

• Sealed Pockets - Open pockets, especially those in your shirt, tend to allow objects to fall out of them. Using ones with zippers or buttons takes away that risk entirely.

• Shoes - An object could fall and hit your feet at any time. The likely result will be a broken bone or some other injury. Wearing sturdy shoes can neutralize that hazard.

• Hard Hats - While it is silly to wear a hard hat in an office, anyone that works in a more blue-collar setting should consider wearing one. Additionally, they are required on many worksites, construction being the most common of them.

Safe Work Policies

A second way to reduce falling object injuries is having safe work policies.

• Edges - In general, all tools and materials should be at least three feet from an edge. If you notice that they are not, you may want to talk to a supervisor.

• Guardrails - The safest workplaces install guardrails to keep people from falling. Just make sure that workers aren’t hanging tools on these devices, as that leads to falling objects.

• Roped Off Areas - Because some areas of worksites are more dangerous than others, it is a smart idea to rope them off or put up warning signs.

Safe Work Habits

Lastly, you can adopt the following safe work habits to prevent your risk.

• Pay Attention - Keep your eyes and attention in front of you at all times when working. Phones and other distractions only increase your risk.

• Communicate - You and your team updating each other on what you’re doing near edges will go a long way in keeping everyone safe.

• Resolve Unsafe Conditions - If you see some dangerous practice taking place, such as materials being very close to an edge, you can resolve the situation yourself.

We hope that with the help of the many tips on this list, you can make it through your whole career without getting hit by a falling object. That being said, accidents still happen frequently, whether they involve projectiles or not. If you ever get hurt at your job, you should deeply consider speaking with a St. Louis work injury attorney. Doing so will set you up for a successful workers’ compensation claim, resulting in you getting the compensation you are legally entitled to.