Whether you’re a person who commits to a lot of New Year’s resolutions or someone who thinks they are silly, the new year does present an opportunity to reassess how you’ve been approaching certain things and taking stock in how you could do them better. For instance, at your job, are there things you could be doing that would keep you safer and would make it less likely that you would get injured and have to miss time away from your job and file a Connecticut workers’ compensation claim? If you answered yes to that question, the start of 2024 might be just the time for you to take some action to do something about this.
When you look at your job and how to make it safer you should consider any steps that your employer has already taken to improve safety. If there are items or new rules that have been put in place to keep you and your co-workers safe it would be a good idea to start with those new rules and regulations before you start implementing any of your own resolutions. It can be incredibly important to follow safety protocols set forth by your employer because they have the resources to do research and purchase the safest equipment and tools to help you do your job without getting injured.
Once you’ve addressed everything that your employer believes you should be doing for safety while you’re performing your job, you may need to take a few additional steps, your resolutions, to keep you safe from injury. These resolutions can apply to any job at which you may be put in situations where you could become injured.
Resolution #1: Invest in proper clothing. While you may already have a uniform that is provided by your employer and your employer may make recommendations to you as to what you should wear to keep yourself safe, you may want to go a step further. For instance, if your job requires that you are on your feet all day, are you wearing the right shoes for the job. If the answer is no, take some time and make an upgrade to your footwear. If you are comfortable and wearing shoes or boots that will take into account your environment you will be much less likely to get into an accident.
Resolution #2: Get more sleep. This could be a resolution that is even unrelated to your job, but as it relates to your job, more sleep can be the difference between following all of the safety steps required for your job and skipping a step or two because you’re too tired to get it done. If you’re drowsy and working on a job that requires you to be alert and well rested you could be putting yourself at risk of getting injured. With the turn of the calendar to a new year you may want to make a plan to get yourself a little more sleep every night so you are more alert when performing your role.
Resolution #3: Eat more. That’s right, eat more. This could also be, eating more, regularly. Often we get wrapped up in the day to day of our jobs which then makes us hungry throughout the day. Performing the duties of any job on an empty stomach could be a recipe for disaster. If your body is not properly fueled you may make mistakes because you are focused on being hungry instead of on keeping yourself and your co-workers safe. Often people will make a resolution to lose weight and while we’re talking about eating more, we’re not talking about loading up on junk. Eating the right foods can help you knock out two resolutions, one personal and one professional in one.
Whether you’re a resolution person or not, deciding to take a few steps to keep yourself a little safer at work in the new year can be a great way to maintain your safety and avoid an injury that could lead to a Connecticut workers’ compensation claim. No one wants to spend time away from work because they didn’t make good choices on the job and it led to an injury that could be detrimental to them performing their role safely.
Whether you make these changes to your lifestyle in 2024 or not, you may still become injured and need some representation to help guide you through the claims process. Contact our board certified workers’ compensation attorneys who will speak with you about your situation and work with you on protecting your long-term interests.
