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FALL PROTECTION Keeping a Sharp Eye Out Tawansak/Shutterstock.com There have been lots of innovations when it comes to protecting workers from falls, but how can today’s safety eyewear help prevent fall-related injuries? BY JOEY COCCIARDI, QSSP, OSHA-30 The simple phrase “watch your step,” has a deeper meaning when it comes to workplace safety. Workplace injuries can have a significant impact on an entire organization, from the worker who suffered the injury to the organization who may need to train and retrain others to fill in and to the economic impact that an injury causes. The average cost of an eye injury in the healthcare field is $68,000. This number only includes directly related costs and not indirect costs like possible liability claims, lost time and more. While work-related injuries will always be a part of the equation, there is good news in that the rate of injuries is declining as employers continue to put more steps in place and adopt better practices to reduce workforce injuries while the safety industry continues to develop new innovations aimed at making the process safer for everyone involved. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, workforce injuries have declined from 1.3 per 100 workers in 2017 to 1.0 per 100 workers in 2021 across all channels. It’s interesting to note that the healthcare sector is among the industries with the highest incident rates, with 5.2 injuries per 100 as of 2019, which is down from 10.4 per 100 in 2010. This is a particularly unique sector because it is projected to be the fastest-growing industry through 2024, yet it continues to have one of the highest injury rates. We want to make sure that moving forward anyone in the healthcare industry has knowledge and access to the proper PPE for their specific needs. With QSSP and OHSA-30 credentials, I’m required to be up to date on the latest OSHA regulations. Having spent the past nine years working in the healthcare industry with a specific focus on selling safety products and solutions into healthcare, one of my roles is to assess hazards and provide recommendations to a wide range of verticals, spanning from Mine Safety to manufacturing to healthcare. Slips, trips and falls are the number one cause of injury across all verticals, and we’re always looking at what can be done to help prevent those falls. Prevention is key, and when assessing a safety profile, we must always ask; How can we eliminate dangerous situations from the workplace? New Tools On the technology front, we’re seeing innovative new tools that help organizations put preventive measures in place to help them identify areas of vulnerabilities and put processes in place to help reduce occupational accidents, this has led to the rise of 16 Occupational Health & Safety | JULY/AUGUST 2023 www.ohsonline.com