The N.Y. Department of Health has some good tips for preventing workplace injuries for employees and their employers:

Employers should

* Review laws that apply to your worksites to ensure you are in compliance
* Work with workforce representatives to develop health & safety programming as needed
* Invite a site visit from an occupational health expert to make health & safety recommendations
* Offer medical screenings
* Host in-house workshops/training sessions for workers, focused on preventing work-related illness and injury
* Form/Join/Support health & safety committees
* Host a workplace health & safety fair with demonstrations, displays and more
* Distribute health & safety information regularly, along with appropriate protective equipment to employees

Employees should

* Work in a safe manner wearing your appropriate protective equipment
* Know your rights under state worker compensation laws
* Form/Join a health and safety committee and communicate with its representatives about workplace concerns and issues
* Bring to the attention of health & safety committees/employers/coworkers potential worksite hazards needing elimination
* Participate in medical screenings, trainings, workshops and other activities offered by employers or labor unions
* Exercise your right to appropriate protective equipment, procedures and training and follow the policies and procedures necessary to prevent injury or illness from these hazards
* Distribute health and safety information to co-workers
* Write a letter to a local newspaper/area legislator/policy maker describing in your own words why workplace health and safety is important
 

To that list, we'd also add that employers should ensure that they have proper workers' compensation coverage for all employees, as required by law. And workers should report all work-related injuries and illnesses immediately so that they can be fairly compensated and so that safety problems can be resolved immediately.