Workplace injuries are a substantial obstacle for colleges and universities, impacting both employee well-being and campus operations. Incidents range from chemical exposures in labs to equipment mishaps in maintenance departments, creating avoidable risks and costs.
The most frequent incidents? Contact with equipment, overexertion injuries, chemical exposures, and needlestick accidents. Each type of injury has unique root causes, but they share a common thread: the likelihood of many can be reduced with the right combination of training, protocols, and anticipatory monitoring.
Safety technology, particularly video AI, now offers colleges a powerful tool to identify hazards, enforce safety compliance, and help reduce incident rates. In this guide, we’ll break down the top 4 injuries that can occur in colleges and universities and explain how to mitigate them, with a focus on the role of video AI in keeping campuses safe.
The cost of safety negligence in colleges and universities
Beyond the human impact, workplace injuries affect an institution's bottom line. OSHA penalties for safety violations can be substantial, with fines ranging from thousands to over $75,000 for serious incidents. With the right safety systems—including video AI—these penalties and the incidents that cause them can be reduced.
The top frequent workplace injuries in colleges and universities
1. Contact with Objects and Equipment
Scenario: A maintenance worker operates a table saw with the safety guard removed for a quick cut. The worker’s finger is amputated.
Root Causes & Impact: Contact with objects and equipment is a major source of serious injuries. Frequent causes include missing machine guards and improper lockout/tagout procedures. Amputations, fractures, and lacerations are typical outcomes.
How video AI helps: Video AI platforms can flag when unauthorized access to restricted equipment zones occurs. Reviewing footage helps confirm procedures are followed, supporting both compliance and training.
2. Overexertion and Bodily Reaction (Lifting/Strain Injuries)
Scenario: A facilities worker lifts a heavy box without help, resulting in a serious back strain.
Root Causes & Impact: Overexertion injuries are a frequent issue. Improper lifting, repetitive motion, and lack of ergonomic equipment are leading factors. The impact includes lost productivity, high medical costs, and in severe cases, long-term disability.
How video AI helps: Safety teams can analyze video footage to review incidents of overexertion, identify risky behaviors, and apply these findings to coach staff and reinforce safe practices.
3. Exposure to Harmful Substances (Chemical/Lab Safety)
Scenario: A research assistant skips gloves “just for a second” and suffers a chemical burn.
Root Causes & Impact: Chemical exposures are a notable risk in lab environments. Inadequate PPE, poor chemical labeling, and inconsistent safety protocols are frequent. These incidents often result in burns, inhalation injuries, or long-term health effects and can be costly to treat.
How video AI helps: Video AI can monitor for PPE compliance, triggering alerts and supporting targeted retraining.
4. Needlestick and Sharps Injuries
Scenario: A nursing student recaps a used needle by hand and is punctured, risking exposure to blood-borne pathogens.
Root Causes & Impact: While they represent a smaller proportion of total injuries, needlestick incidents are high-risk, particularly in clinical training settings. Inexperience, rushed procedures, and a poor reporting culture contribute to these events.
How video AI helps: Reviewing video from clinical skills labs can help identify unsafe sharps handling and verify compliance with disposal protocols, supporting targeted retraining where risky practices are identified.
Hurdles and impact of the injuries
Injury Type | Hurdles | Impact | Role of data & technology |
|---|---|---|---|
Contact with Objects/Equipment | Missing guards, rushed repairs, lockout/tagout failures | Amputations, lacerations, OSHA fines | Video AI verifies procedural compliance and flags unsafe access |
Overexertion/Bodily Reaction | Poor lifting technique, lack of ergonomic aids, time pressure | Strains, hernias, long-term disability | Video AI review helps identify unsafe movements and informs ergonomic interventions |
Exposure to Harmful Substances | Inconsistent PPE use, inadequate training, poor labeling | Burns, poisoning, chronic illness | Video AI monitors PPE compliance |
Needlestick/Sharps Injuries | Inexperience, rushed procedures, lack of reporting | Infection risk, liability, psychological impact | Video AI supports skills assessment, retraining, and compliance review |
How technology strengthens injury mitigation
1. Contact with Objects and Equipment
Safety hurdle: Machine guards are sometimes removed and lockout/tagout procedures skipped under pressure.
Tech Solution: Video AI platforms can automatically detect when workers enter restricted zones around equipment. Alerts prompt supervisors to intervene when unsafe activity is detected.
2. Overexertion and Bodily Reaction
Safety pain point: Staff skip proper lifting techniques or rush tasks, increasing strain and injury risk.
Tech Solution: Safety leaders can analyze video to review movement patterns, identify unsafe lifting or repetitive motion, and apply this data to provide targeted coaching and justify ergonomic equipment.
3. Exposure to Harmful Substances
Safety hurdle: Lab staff and students sometimes skip PPE or mishandle chemicals.
Tech Solution: Video AI platforms monitor for PPE compliance. Alerts catch non-use, while video logs enable teams to review incidents and reinforce safety culture.
4. Needlestick and Sharps Injuries
Safety challenge: Clinical learners may take shortcuts with sharps disposal; reporting is often inconsistent.
Tech Solution: Video footage from clinical simulation labs can be reviewed to identify unsafe sharps handling and verify proper container use. This supports targeted retraining and boosts compliance.
Practical implementation of safety technology
Integrate with existing cameras: The Spot AI platform connects with your existing on-prem cameras, turning your current infrastructure into an intelligent, cloud-managed system.
Unlimited user seats: Safety, IT, and operations teams can all access insights through a unified dashboard.
Open APIs: Ensure the platform integrates with existing safety management systems.
Focus on your risks: Choose solutions that address your campus’s specific hazards.
Start with the basics: Monitor PPE compliance, and unsafe equipment use, then expand as needs evolve.
Technology should support—not replace—your existing safety programs and culture. The best solutions make it easier to spot risks, document compliance, and keep everyone accountable.
Ready to transform campus safety
Workplace injuries on college campuses are avoidable. With the right approach and technology, institutions can reduce harm, lower the risk of costly penalties, and foster a culture of safety. If you want to see how video AI can strengthen your safety program, book a safety consultation with our team to protect your people and your reputation. Book a safety consultation.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common causes of workplace injuries in colleges and universities?
The most frequent causes are contact with equipment; overexertion injuries (like lifting strains); chemical exposures; and needlestick or sharps injuries. Each risk is driven by specific campus activities, such as maintenance, labs, and clinical training.
What role does video AI play in improving campus safety?
Video AI assists institutions in detecting hazards, monitoring compliance, and investigating incidents faster. It also delivers valuable data for targeted training and continuous improvement—without adding extra workload to frontline teams.
Can safety technology integrate with our existing cameras and systems?
Yes. Solutions like Spot AI are designed to bridge existing on-prem cameras to a cloud-native dashboard, leveraging your current infrastructure. Open APIs and unlimited user seats enable easy integration with safety management systems and other campus tools.
What should I look for in a video AI system for workplace safety?
An effective system should proactively detect risks—like missing PPE—and send real-time alerts. It must be easy to use and integrate with your existing cameras to minimize costs. Look for a platform that offers unlimited user seats for collaboration across departments and provides simple tools to search footage, share evidence, and analyze trends for root cause analysis.
About the author
Joshua Foster is an IT Systems Engineer at Spot AI, where he focuses on designing and securing scalable enterprise networks, managing cloud-integrated infrastructure, and automating system workflows to enhance operational efficiency. He is passionate about cross-functional collaboration and takes pride in delivering robust technical solutions that empower both the Spot AI team and its customers.
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