Accident at work: know how to prevent in your company

Provisional Measure 905/2019, which created the Green and Yellow Employment Contract and promoted the modernization of some labor reforms, was revoked on 4/20/2020 through Provisional Measure 955/2020.

According to this content, the Trajectory Accident, which had been removed from the concept of occupational accident by equivalent, is again considered as an occupational accident. Therefore, we have prepared some prevention tips to be implemented in your company.

Work accident

According to Article 19 of Law No. 8,213 of 1991, “an accident at work is what occurs when working at a company or domestic employer or by the work of the insured persons referred to in item VII of art. 11 of this Law, causing bodily injury or functional disturbance that causes death or the loss or reduction, permanent or temporary, of the ability to work. ”

The data from the Occupational Health and Safety Observatory, developed by the Public Ministry of Labor and the International Labor Organization, record that between 2012 and 2018 there were 16,455 deaths and 4.5 million occupational accidents in Brazil, and also records that the types of most frequent injuries are cuts and lacerations.

Given this, it is essential that some preventive measures are taken within your company. Check out some important tips:

 

1. Correct use of PPE’s:

Law No. 6,514 of December 22, 1977 establishes that the company is obliged to provide employees, free of charge, with personal protective equipment (PPE) appropriate to the risk and in perfect condition and functioning.

This equipment is extremely efficient to prevent accidents at work, so it is important that their use is monitored routinely.

 

2. Provide a health plan:

In the event of accidents at work, the employer is responsible for covering all costs of care and rehabilitation of the injured employee.

Some types of health insurance cover accidents at work. If offered, this benefit will reduce the company's spending on employee medical treatments.

3. Keep the environment and equipment properly marked:

It is very common for the equipment used by the employee to provide for the occurrence of a work accident, so it is extremely important that the environments and equipment are properly marked according to their risks to the health or physical integrity of the worker, as defined by NR-12 .

4. Have a culture of prevention within the company:

We know that prevention is the best way to avoid any accident, so it is important that manuals are created with the company's safety policy, regular training with the team in order to provide information on safety and handling of equipment, and the establishment routines for monitoring the environment and the use of PPE's.

In the event of an accident at work in your company, it is important to observe a procedure to be followed:

• Seek medical help immediately
• In case of commuting accident, check if the worker was really on the way home from the company, or vice versa;
• Issue the Work Accident Communication (CAT) for Social Security
• Pay attention to the accident stability - if the worker is away for more than 15 days and receiving the accident benefit.