Manufacturing plants are responsible for the various materials and products we use in our daily lives or are necessary for other industrial uses like construction. As such, manufacturing has necessary hazards like heavy machinery that can pose a threat to employee safety. In order to prevent accidents within the workplace, become familiar with these tips to improve safety in manufacturing plants and protect your employees.
Add Machine Guards
On heavy machinery, it’s not uncommon for there to be exposed components and moving parts that employees could accidentally touch or brush against, resulting in bodily injury. The best safety precaution you can take is to add machine guards that serve as a barrier between employees and the machinery without inhibiting the machine’s function. When you put the guards in place, however, you can’t assume the machine is completely harmless, however. When you first acquire your machine guards, you need to inspect for any possible mistakes. Furthermore, over the course of operation, the machine guards should be inspected for any kind of damage or defect that may occur in its lifetime, allowing you to quickly make repairs or replace defective machine guards.
Focus on Employees
Another good tip to improve safety in manufacturing plants is to focus on your employees rather than the facility itself. Human error is unpredictable and inevitable, but you can reduce errors and accidents by taking care of your employees. Ensure you’re not overworking employees, as fatigue may cause them to become careless or unaware of their surroundings. Furthermore, as OSHA guidelines require, ensure your employees are properly outfitted with the necessary personal protective equipment to protect them from harm.
Train Consistently
Consistently training and enforcing safety procedures is vital to reducing accidents or the severity of accidents when they occur. Employees should know what to do in the event of an emergency, what to do if one of their coworkers is injured, and how to report facilities or equipment that may be dangerous or incorrect. A single training session is not ideal because employees may eventually forget the directives, so ensure every employee receives a refresher from time to time to keep them ready and prepared.
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