SAFELY RETURNING TO THE OFFICE FROM COVID-19

As vaccination rates continue to increase in the U.S., many workplaces are returning employees to the office. In addition to following guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and your local mandates to prevent the spread of COVID-19, it's also important to prevent injuries when employees return to the workplace.

Use these tips in your agency and share them with your policyholders to help protect employees as they return.

• Good safety habits start at home with adequate rest, nutrition and normal home routines.
• Remind yourself of normal job tasks and necessary safety habits before starting work.
• Pre-job safety inspections, safety talks or job safety analyses are a great way to refresh yourself and your teams on the risks of the job.

Practicing awareness is important for everyone when returning to work, including awareness of surroundings, procedures and safety protocols. Consider the below organizational practices when you go back to the workplace.

• Remember the materials and equipment needed to perform your job duties.
• Consider risks while organizing your work, including awkward postures and heavy loads.
• Make sure to gather the appropriate tools for the job.

Reintroducing our bodies to performing certain tasks is also an important step. Help reduce risk and stay healthy with these precautions.

• Be extra aware of lifting loads beyond what you have lifted recently.
• Watch for awkward postures that create an even greater risk of muscle strain.
• Review stretching resources to ensure muscles are slowly reintroduced to the workloads.

Check out this flyer for more information on safely returning to the workplace. For additional safety resources, contact your workers’ compensation and loss control consultant.