Workplace safety is a major concern in any manufacturing plant. Getting it right can help to improve performance and grow your business. On the other hand, safety issues can cause your business money, time, reputational damage, and injuries. Therefore, it’s important that you take care of that before the unimaginable happens.
Even with all the rules and regulations on worker’s safety, approximately 100,000 manufacturing workers become victims of work-related injuries every year. Continue reading this article to learn more on how you can protect your employees from potential accidents and increase their productivity.
Embed a Culture of Safety
Manufacturing businesses with the best safety records have the greatest safety culture. To create a culture of safety, start with safety procedures and equipment alone. For true safety, everyone should feel responsible and alert managers when safety concerns arise. When everyone in your business, including managers and other employees lead safety processes, everyone in your company will be involved in your efforts to create a safe workplace.
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Schedule Regular Maintenance
For any piece of equipment to perform optimally, it should be well-maintained. This means that you should ensure that your manufacturing equipment is maintained regularly. Schedule regular equipment maintenance to prevent breakdown, which can cause costly downtime. Costs associated with downtime for regular maintenance are less compared to downtime due to damaged equipment. Additionally, tools and equipment that are regularly maintained are less likely to be hazardous. According to OSHA, the most common source of workplace injuries is the misuse of tools and equipment.
Update Processes
To improve productivity, you may want to identify processes that could use some changing or updating. It’s also equally important to update your equipment. You can improve productivity and safety in your workplace by identifying new equipment like the duplex 2205 flanges. However, before you update your technology, you may want to consider the cost of ownership and how it will affect your bottom line. A high initial cost of the equipment may be worth it if the cost of ownership is lower than the processes or technology you’re replacing.
Prevent Slips and Falls
Slip and fall accidents are common in workplaces, and they’re often caused by wet surfaces. Therefore, it is crucial that passages are clear and spills are cleaned to prevent your workers from falling and getting injured. Additionally, if you often deal with liquids, you may want to clean spills immediately and use drip pans and guards to keep your workers safe. Apart from liquids, loose boards, holes, or nails projecting from floors can cause slip and fall accidents. Therefore, if you note any of these hazards ensure that you have them fixed.
Train Your Employees
Training and educating your employees is a continuous process. In the manufacturing industry, there are some compulsory types of training. For instance, you should provide safety training to all employees using safety gear. Additionally, you should provide your employees with training when you add new equipment or incorporate new technology.
Bottom Line
Despite major improvements in employee safety, manufacturing is still a dangerous occupation. Because injuries result in reduced employee morale, expensive lawsuits, reputation damage, and reduced productivity, you should use the above measures to improve safety and increase productivity. It’s also important that you purchase the right business insurance to protect your employees and your business.
