Prone to Accidents? 4 Ways to Protect Yourself

Many of us have a tendency to be accident prone. This can be a serious problem, especially in the workplace. Here are four ways to protect yourself if you are accident prone.

Pay Attention to Your Surroundings

If you work in an environment where being clumsy can cost you your life, you must face the fact that you cannot be clumsy. You must pay attention to everything that is going on around you. Pay attention to what people around you are doing. Be mindful of where your body parts are at all times. For example, is that paper a bit too close to your eye? Is there a chance that if your carry something a certain way, you will crush your hands or pull a muscle? If you sit down on the floor to stock that bottom shelf, is there a sharp object waiting there to cut you?

Wear Safety Gear

This is definitely a must, especially when there are particular work hazards looming above your head. For example, are you that guy who empties out the glass-bottle-recycling machine? If so, then it would be a good idea to wear goggles and gloves. A personal injury lawyer knows that this would be a great idea in such a situation. It’s really up to you to evaluate what kind of safety gear you need based upon how clumsy you are and what kinds of hazards exist at your job.

Go at Your Own Pace and Know Your Limits

This may be hard for some people to follow, because a number of jobs involve being rushed—or at least having a boss that tries to rush you. Unfortunately, accidents happen when people are rushed and stressed out. People are more accident prone when they are hurried. Frenzied individuals may not make the best decisions when it comes to safety—or they may not have enough time to make the best decisions. It is wise to know your own physical and mental limits because these play a big role in whether or not accidents happen. Are you that tall, beefy guy, or are you that short, thin person? Are you disabled to any extent? Do you have any habits or tendencies that come up when you are put under certain circumstances?

Use Common Sense

It is important to understand exactly what your job entails. This will, hopefully, decrease the likelihood of an accident happening. Also, you should familiarize yourself with workplace rules, policies and laws. These things will give you hints about how you can avoid accidents. Some employers have papers posted on walls that remind workers of various safety policies, tips and tricks. It is worth it to see whether your employer is posting anything like that.

Something else to consider is the fact that, unfortunately, some employers do not have the best interest of their employees in mind. There are bosses out there who might tell you to do your job in an unnecessary way that is accident prone. This is why you should have common sense about what is good for you. If you really feel that you’re being put at a heightened risk of serious injury because of a bossy boss, you should not ignore that.

So, these are the four things that you can do to protect yourself in the workplace if you are accident prone. Basically, you have to be aware of the environment that you are in, as well as what is happening around you. Mindfulness is the key when it comes to staying safe as an accident prone person.

Rachelle Wilber

Rachelle Wilber is a freelance writer living in the San Diego, California area.

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