Safety Evolution Blog

Woodworking is an intriguing hobby; there's nothing more relaxing than using your hands to create something meaningful and unique. However, similar to construction and oil & gas, if you don't follow basic workplace safety rules, it can become a hazardous activity.

Companies large and small care about safety, and rightfully so! Classic office building employees may not consider the possibility of bodily harm the same way live construction site workers do, but in reality, TRIR (total recordable incident rate) is just as important in both scenarios.

If you have angry workers in your department or you yourself are angry, you may end up reporting more injuries on the job. A recent study by the Annals of Family Medicine found that high levels of anger increase the risk of injury. Angry people are more likely to sustain injuries serious enough to require emergency medical care, and the risk is higher for men than women, says lead author Daniel Vinson of the University of Missouri.

One of the major factors to be taken into account when keeping everyone safe on a worksite is one which can’t be controlled in any way by even the top bosses of a construction company: the weather. Even everyday fluctuations in weather like rain showers or periods of strong winds can make a big difference in how workers must operate. Extreme weather conditions, which are common in many parts of North America, can have even more drastic effects.

Human error is the single biggest cause of incidents—it’s behind up to 90 percent of all incidents.

Companies wanting to reduce corporate costs and provide employees a better working environment should aim at improving the safety management system.