Head injuries are nasty no matter how they are sustained. They should always be taken seriously and you should always seek professional advice, even if you feel okay. A head injury can have all kinds of side effects, such as concussion, seizures, double vision and problems with your hearing.
Of course, most of us already take the necessary precautions, wearing our helmets for cycling and protective headgear for other sports. But if you’re an employer, it’s your responsibility to make sure your workplace is safe and that the risk of head injuries is properly managed.
There are lots of reasons to act responsibly. For a start, you don’t want anyone to be injured in your place of work. But on a practical level, if anyone sustains a head injury whilst working for you, you could be subjected to legal proceedings if you haven’t done everything in your power to prevent accidents.
Think about the type of business you are running. Obviously if you are working on a building site, you need to follow the regulations for wearing hard hats and making sure your visitors wear them too. But some things aren’t perhaps quite so obvious. What type of building do you work in? If it has low ceilings or beams, you need to have clear signs to draw people’s attention to them.
It’s always a good idea to involve your employees in your safety measures as much as possible. Rather than just presenting them with a list of rules, perhaps you could hold regular meetings; explain if there are any of their working practices that may cause head injury and offer training in how to avoid these situations. Ask your staff to let you know any possible danger areas so you can rectify any problems or hazards quickly and safely. It is also wise to have a properly trained health and safety expert on site, perhaps designating a trusted member of staff to take on the role.
If your workplace involves using ladders or carrying out any kind of work at heights, this is clearly a potential hazard in terms of head injuries. You need to make sure that you are following all of the rules laid out by the Health and Safety Executive regarding the use of ladders, as well as working on roofs or at a height.
If any of your team does sustain a head injury you need to act quickly. Head injuries need to be dealt with by a professional at a hospital. Whilst the person may seem fine on the surface, it is important that they are monitored for any delayed side effects. Get the injured person to hospital as quickly as possible and make sure the accident is properly logged and dealt with immediately.