Many organisations recognise the importance of their safety responsibilities and are keen on cooperating with enforcing authorities, even conducting their own investigations to understand why the system failed. Nonetheless, accidents at work still happen on a daily basis despite rigorous controls. The industries with the highest injury rates are construction, agriculture, forestry, and fishing, manufacturing, and transportation and storage. Not everyone who’s injured on the job reports the incident to the Health and Safety Executive due to fear of retaliation, perceived insignificance, time constraints, or lack of trust in the process. No workplace is entirely risk-free, but it’s everyone’s responsibility to ensure the potential for workplace accidents is eliminated or minimised.
The most common accidents found within the workplace, such as slips, trips, and falls, handling, carrying, or lifting, or falls from height, are caused by overexertion. Any job, any profession that requires manual labour, regardless of how demanding, can lead to an overexertion injury, which gives rise to debilitating pain, medical bills, physical therapy, and missed time at work. It’s easy to overdo it if you push yourself too hard. This is the reason why employers must pay close attention to the efforts each person is putting into their work to ensure they don’t excessively go beyond their strengths. Overexertion can be prevented.
Accidents Relating to Physical Exertion Are Incredibly Common
People are conditioned to push themselves even harder when times get tough, so there’s no question of taking a break. Overexertion involves physical effort that’s beyond one’s current abilities – it involves forceful movements that cause discomfort in the muscle’s area of origin. Different people become overexerted at different points because we all have our own limits. If a person continues to push through the pain, a little problem can turn into a big one, and the rehabilitation of that injury becomes complicated. In the worst-case scenario, a person can develop chronic pain. Chronic injuries can only be resolved with the use of medication and physical therapy.
Sooner or later, the sensation of fatigue and exhaustion occur. While physical activity is good, it does tire the body. An overexertion injury occurs when a worker attempts to complete a task beyond their physical capacity, such as trying to lift something that’s too heavy for them. Overexertion injuries can cover different injuries like muscle tears, sprains and strains, joint injuries, and back injuries, to name a few. If an employee isn’t properly trained on how to lift heavy objects correctly, they risk harming themselves. As far as the spine and body are concerned, one can never be too careful.
If You’ve Overexerted Yourself, You May Have the Following Symptoms
You’re likely to become overexerted if you’re asked to perform a job that’s above your skill or training level, causing you to seek out medical attention and, at times, compensation. If you thought you were injury-proof at your job, you’d better think again. You may be nearing the point of overexertion when doing strenuous tasks if you:
- Are struggling to catch your breath
- Feel sluggish during the day
- Are spinning, or things around you are spinning
- Have a high pulse rate
- Your muscles are tender to the touch
If you have a toxic or bad boss, you should take action right away because your body doesn’t care about money. You must take good care of your body so it provides you with a longer, more fulfilling life. When work becomes too much, it can have detrimental effects on your health. From a legal standpoint, your employer can’t make you work more than 48 hours a week, including overtime, so you could commence legal action against them. You don’t have to do overtime even if your contract says you might be offered it if the workload suddenly increases or they don’t have sufficient staff to meet the demand.
Basic Medical Treatment Isn’t Enough, And It’s Also Costly
Treatment for overexertion isn’t as simple as going home and getting some rest. More often than not, you need medical treatment for the underlying causes and symptoms. Most severe cases require medication, physical therapy, and surgery. You might need more extensive rehabilitation or therapeutic services and various other medical procedures for which you’ll have to dig deep into your pockets. Consider making a personal injury claim against your employer if they make you work overtime, but keep in mind that it can be a long and stressful process. Please visit https://www.how-to-sue.co.uk for more information. It might be quicker and easier to find another job.
How Can Overexertion Be Prevented in The Workplace?
Overworked and stressed employees can get seriously injured or become ill on the job. Multiple overexertion injuries are caused by employees avoiding taking breaks, lack of proper training, and the need to perform tasks beyond one’s physical limits. Overexertion results in less productive employees, increased quality errors, and more accidents at work. Employers are able to control certain risk factors by:
- Including frequent breaks and opportunities to stretch – Working nonstop for eight hours straight isn’t the epitome of dedication and quality results. Taking short and frequent breaks during the day makes employees more efficient and less likely to make mistakes. Ensure your team members are physically ready for work by offering them opportunities to stretch.
- Providing ergonomic equipment – Set up a safe office environment by offering various equipment that results in a better work experience, such as chairs, desks, input devices, and stands. With the increase in remote work and the focus on digital accessibility, it’s never been more important to offer a customised work experience.
- Training employees to prevent overexertion – Everything is preventable if employees have the right tools and training. Teach workers about proper habits and motions and ensure they practise the best mechanics for pushing and pulling. Train people to think before every move and use accident investigation as a learning tool.
Overexertion is the leading cause of on-the-job injuries and accidents. If an unpleasant incident occurs at your workplace, you’re legally responsible for investigating what happened and implementing the necessary protocols to prevent reoccurrence.
