Six Safety Tips for Manufacturing Workplaces
An industrial site is a place with a lot of potential for accidents to occur due to the involvement of heavy machinery, tools, and equipment for raw material processing. A small mistake might result in an injury or, at worst, the death of one or more people. Hence, it is your responsibility as a manufacturer to establish a safe working culture.
Several safety standards are in place to help minimize the risk in these types of workplaces, but are you genuinely adhering to all of them? And, if so, are you putting them into practice effectively? If there is evidence of negligence and it is allowed to persist, it could result in accidents, fatalities, production downtime, lower outputs, and hence reduced profits. It also costs time and money to settle the damages.
So put a safety policy in place to reduce hazards and protect the health of those working in a manufacturing workplace. Not only will it lessen the risks on the site but also keep productivity slowdowns at a minimum. Here are a few safety suggestions to get you started.
- Do In-Depth Risk Assessment
It is easier to guarantee industrial safety when you know the possible sources of workplace dangers and how to prevent them. Run a risk assessment to identify the dangers present around the site. It allows you to understand the danger levels and which required measures to implement. If you do it yourself, you may miss out on some aspects; so, hire professional assistance. Manufacturing plant assessors are experts on the subject, ensuring the proper operation of all equipment, heavy machinery, and thereby safety.
- Test Electrical Performance
A single spark is enough to start a fire, which could lead to heavy losses in terms of property and life. Although you can use your company’s insurance to get back the money, it won’t be the same with the people who will be affected by the incident. So, conduct thorough electrical inspections regularly to identify and mitigate any threats or potential threats. The best thing is to contact an industrial electrician to finish the performance testing of electrical outlets and cables. They are experts at identifying and correcting power threats. This saves your factory, the lives of your workers, and the money you spent on industrial facilities.
- Require Your Workers to Wear Protective Gear
The odds of a disaster are almost nil after a comprehensive assessment of risk and power systems. However, there is still a risk of injury and accidents when operating industrial machinery and tools. To keep your workers safe, make it mandatory for them to wear safety features while the site. What they need to wear is determined by your manufacturing operation.
If there’s some welding work to be done, require them to wear welding helmets, strong rubber shoes, protective gloves, and protective eyewear to prevent shocks and burns. If the work involves heavy metal, have your workers wear personal protective equipment. In general, urge workers to wear the right gear depending on the nature of factory work they are doing.
- Train and Educate the Workers
Ignorance on the part of workers, a lack of experience, and the misuse of tools can all lead to various incidents. Thus, you must educate them about the safety standards to follow and train them to use the equipment properly. Only then can on-site injuries and hazards be reduced or completely avoided. You should not, however, refrain from furthering a worker’s training just because they are experienced. This is because national safety guidelines for industrial units are always changing. Thus, you’ll need to keep them updated.
- Conduct Emergency Escape Drills
The best way to ensure safety even in a disaster is to practice emergency evacuation drills. This type of conduct encourages workers to respond quickly and in an organized manner rather than panicking. It makes them familiar with all the emergency exits and helps them decide which technical equipment must be turned off and which should be left running. It helps them remember where the fire extinguishers are and how to use them appropriately in the event of a fire. Such strategies are beneficial and have the potential to save countless lives.
- Keep the Site Clean
You’re probably wondering how cleanliness prevents injuries. A clean working environment with adequate lighting and ventilation promotes a better work atmosphere. Trips, slips, and falls can be avoided by keeping aisles, stairs, and spills clean. This can help protect your workers from harm. You should keep the flooring dry with non-slip material and the factory clean and clutter-free, too.
Factory and manufacturing facilities do represent a higher risk of fatal and non-fatal accidents. However, as a responsible employer, you can avoid them by adhering to the safety practices described above. Your job does not end at providing health and life insurance to the employers, it is equally important to guide them to follow the safety practices. So, go and make your site a safe and comfortable place for your employees.