Last night as I was working at my desk, I stood up quickly and banged my head on an upper shelf—a nice, loud, painful crack. This morning I have a tender lump on the corner of my forehead and a reminder that even in the comfort of my cozy little house—the work injuries are a possibility…
Other than the occasional paper cut or stubbed toe from stumbling into the kitchen for a snack after having sat at my desk too long—I am really not terribly accident prone. I do have a first-aid kit and all in all I have found working from my home office to be far less injury-inducing than the more traditional jobs I have had. Maybe it is that I just feel safer because I am in my own home, or I am more relaxed in my comfy clothes, or that I am less likely to make careless moves or actions that invite injuries.
The downside to the home business injuries is that for some of us—if we really hurt ourselves, there is no one around to help us! Had I hit my head so hard that it knocked me unconscious, there would not have been anyone save my three cats to tend to me when I hit the floor. So having an emergency plan and thinking through what we will do in case of a serious injury can be important to a home business owner who spends a great deal of time alone.
Keep the ice pack handy, and the first aid kit—and make sure that you are not courting disaster by having unsafe wiring or messes or a cluttered work environment. While we may not be able to prevent every injury on the job in our home businesses, we can be prepared and take some precautions to keep the injury potential low.
Also: Don’t Forget Safety in Your Home Business