Employers in California must comply with the safety standards and guidelines prescribed by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health. They must protect the safety and health of all employers. An essential part of preventing work-related accidents is adequate safety training and appropriate steps to mitigate reported near-miss incidents. Complacency and human error are often the cause of preventable workplace injuries.
Employers must not overlook those dangers and address employees’ potential stressors and everyday concerns as soon as they become aware of circumstances that could lead to catastrophic injuries. Assisting workers in dealing with personal issues might limit work accidents caused by human error.
Fatigue
Workers often have unrealistic production deadlines to meet, or employers expecting them to double production. Such expectations could cause physical, emotional and mental fatigue. Exhaustion causes slowed reactions, impaired judgment, problems paying attention and inability to follow instructions. The slightest human error could cause a preventable accident.
Stress
Stress about issues at home or in a worker’s personal life typically affects their focus on the job at hand. Anxiety and stress could involve the health of a loved one, personal relationships or financial problems. If workers are overwhelmed by personal troubles, any additional work-related stress or job insecurity could exacerbate the risks of workplace accidents and even adverse health conditions like hypertension, heart attack or stroke.
Depending on the field of employment, human errors could involve slip-and-falls or dropped objects, which could have long-term health consequences. Those who work with heavy equipment or machines could suffer amputation injuries. Fortunately, the California worker’s compensation system is a no-fault program. Therefore, they will consider all workplace injuries, including those caused by human error, as long as the claims are filed within the allowed time.
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