Thank you for the explanations. Is there anything that I, as a miner, can do in order to avoid this happening?
Are you solo mining, or are you mining in a pool?
If you are mining in a pool, then it is the responsibility of the pool operator to make sure that they minimize the orphan rate.
If you are solo mining, then you want to make sure that your client is well connected to as many other miners (and mining pools) as possible with the fastest possible internet connection.
This will allow you to get your blocks shared quickly before any miners (or pools) hear about any other blocks solved at approximately the same time.