While modern industrial technology has dramatically improved the way we manufacture products, safety is still one of the major concerns on manufacturing floors. Lack of safety knowledge and strategies often leads to injuries, reduced productivity, and reputation damage. Thousands of manufacturing workers are injured every year making it necessary for manufacturers to work towards improved safety measures. Slips, trips, falls, contact with sharp objects and substances are some of the common hazards workers have to deal with on manufacturing floors.
While it’s hard to prevent injuries, your efforts to reduce the rate of injuries can go a long way. If you’re unable to ensure employee safety and create a productive working environment, it’s time to take safety seriously. Here is what you can do to improve safety on your manufacturing floor:
Create a culture of safety
The manufacturers with impeccable safety records are those that work hard to create a sound safety culture. It’s not all about equipping your facility with protective equipment, instilling a sense of responsibility and professionalism in your employees can make your workplace safe as well as productive.
You can start with engineering safety into your equipment and production processes to reduce the impact of human error. Working conditions should be designed in a manner that maximizes ergonomics. Small production breaks can help your employees deal with fatigue and prevent serious injuries. Small breaks can’t completely eliminate the factor of fatigue, but it can go a long way to mitigate safety concerns. Also, managers should put their team’s safety above their own.
Develop a safety program
Most manufacturers are aware of basic safety due to OSHA regulations. As a safety manager, you must create an effective and practical safety program that addresses all the hazards present at your facility. Creating a detailed list of potential electrical, fire, and ergonomics hazards would be a good start. OSHA provides valuable information in the form of safety checklists on everything from engineering controls and abrasive wheel grinders to electrical hazards, machine guarding and aerial lifts.
Use technology
Industrial technologies like automation, analytics, and IoT can help you improve safety and production capabilities. It’s cost-effective to have a robot or automated machine perform hazardous work. Advanced sensors can also provide reliable information on machinery operation. Big corporations even use artificial intelligence to understand the working conditions or the way humans and machines interact. It’s advisable to invest in modern technology to improve your manufacturing safety standards.
Invest in training and preventive maintenance
To stay profitable in a competitive environment, it’s important to invest in the training of factory workers. Your employees should be trained enough to operate the latest equipment and understand the protocols for equipment handling. Lack of training and inability to follow procedures is a common problem across industries.
Having an effective preventive maintenance strategy can also help you improve safety on the manufacturing floor; well-maintained equipment creates fewer safety risks. The overall objective should be to reduce injuries and improve operational efficiency.
About Quality Millwright
Quality Millwright is a rapidly growing millwright company in Alberta where we help manufacturers maintain a safe and efficient working environment. Contact us for more details!
