Employees are always at the receiving end of an accident when they sustain an injury. However, the employer bears some of the burdens of responsibility as well.
However, there are so many effects an accident can cause on an employee whenever it happens in the workplace and often very terrible and very displeasing to hear.
What are the effects of an accident on the life of an employee?
#1. Physical and mental agony.
Pain is an unpleasant sensation and emotional experience usually caused by tissue damage. People may experience it differently from each other.
Pain from an accident is better imagined than for it to happen. Pains following an accident are very traumatic. Accidents can even lead to mental agony. Amputation following an accident takes a long time to go with the help of some pain medications. And this may even lead to Sadness and depression.
#2. Loss of life
Loss of life or fatality is among the terrible effects of the accident. Fatality gives a terrible record in the safety statistics of a company. An accident involving loss of life will have a terrible effect on their family. The person will not be available for their family again.
There are records of some devastating accidents in history. For example, on May 30, 1626, The Wangongchang explosion happened in a gunpowder factory in Beijing, China, killing 20000 people in a single incident. Again, on December 2, 1984, there was an event of a gas explosion in Tbilisi, The Georgina soviet socialist republic killing 200 people. In life, there have been records of so many deaths involving employees in their workplaces.
#3. loss of earning power.
The person may not be able to earn more than their present earnings. Some accidents can cause the victim not to be able to make earnings. For instance, a worker working as a mason may not be able to work as a mason if it’s only that skill that they have. It will be difficult for that worker to make money, thereby losing the earnings.
That earning power from your ability to work on a particular job for a period will be distorted following a devastating accident.
#4. Loss of leisure activities such as hobbies and recreation.
Some hobbies are recreational activities. And they are subject to the state of health of the person involved. Following an accident, Someone that lost his legs can not enjoy hobbies like swimming and dancing.
Such hobbies will completely die a natural death. The person may even pick a new hobby different from the previous ones.
#5. Extra expenses on services.
Normal activities you do for yourself may become a difficult task if your body is grossly affected by accident. For example, if you are used to carrying objects by lifting them from one point to another. If you have a back injury following an accident, the task will not be possible for you again. Carrying out such will cause pain to you. You may have to pay other people to help you out. And if you can’t find help when you have less to spend on such activities. You’ll only be left helplessly on your own.
#6. Employee loss will affect the living budget of the family.
Breadwinners give support to the family from their salary earnings. Any gap that prevents the salary from coming will take a toll on the family. The family would have nothing to cater for their needs. Loss of a job from an accident happens to anyone.
#7. The person may not be able to do some jobs.
Following an accident, a worker is cut short from performing certain kinds of Jobs apart from the one previously done by the worker before the accident. A worker may be assigned light-duty work from heavy-duty work until the worker is healthy enough to return to the main job.
Some accidents may confine a worker to a wheelchair. In this case, the worker becomes inactive to operate in some environment like site work but not other roles involving office work.
Conclusion.
Accidents cause dangerous effects on human beings. Accidents in the workplace are just one out of many places that accidents occur in life. Though our focus here is on workplace accidents, accidents anywhere can equally have the same effects on people.
The best part of this is that accidents are preventable since more percentage of an accident happening lies in humans doing things wrong or not doing enough. Let us join hands together to reduce accidents and put measures to protect workers.
Read more:
- key responsibilities of audit team members
- Stop work authority safety toolbox talk
- How to encourage workers to use PPE at work
- 5 ways to promote effective safety leadership
- Transportation safety toolbox talk
- 37 Chemical handling safety tips.
- Transportation safety toolbox talk
- Things you need to know about the BCSP Board of certified safety professionals
Onyeka Emma is a QHSE Professional with more than 10 years of experience in occupational health and safety, which spans many industries such as construction, beverage, oil and gas, etc. He has many health and safety certifications, including NEBOSH IGC, ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, and ISO 45001:2018 Lead auditor certificate. A member of IOSH, ISPON, and Nigeria Red Cross Society. He is interested in business, entrepreneurship, Speaking, and motivating people to do better for themselves. He enjoys leisure with a good motivational book.
Accidents are everywhere, but we can do preventions to avoid them. Companies and employees should practice safety precautions to prevent accidents and to have a safe workplace.
Safety precautions is the key word here. without that, the companies and employees are helpless at accidents
I agree!