Your employees are what make or break your business. You don’t want any worker to put their life at risk for work each day. High-risk jobs like industrial and manufacturing jobs are among the most dangerous professions globally. As a business owner or manager, you ought to understand that and ensure employee safety accordingly.
If your employees are overexerting themself, there is a high risk of workplace injury. Businesses lose over $14 billion a year in injury cases, so you could lose more money than you make if there are frequent accidents on site. If you don’t have a proper plan in place, your business can suffer high costs for accidents and compensations, affecting the employees’ productivity and health. To help you out, here are some tips to keep the workplace incident-free.
Create A Culture Of Workplace Safety
Before you employ some safety policy, first look at the conversations happening in the factory about workplace safety. Are they taking it seriously? What is their knowledge regarding safety protocols? Then focus on how often and in what ways you’ve conveyed the importance of workplace safety to your employees. Are they aware of possible injuries to avoid? Do you have safety drills monthly? Or annually? What would work better for your factory? Of course, knowing what workplace safety is or what is needed is the first step to having a protocol or handbook in place.
Then, you can either outsource the burden of creating SOPs or hire/upskill employees inside the company to develop a robust safety plan. An industrial hygiene masters online program is a smart way to enhance internal resources for a more long-term approach. Motivated employees can upskill flexibly and will be well-equipped to improve the work environment’s health and wellness with well-researched and scientifically sound strategies.
Partner With Occupational Clinicians
One surefire way to avoid workplace injury is to prevent it entirely. But for that to happen, you have to have valuable insight into workplace injury and prevention. Consulting an occupational clinician can do wonders in that regard. They help you prevent work injuries by visiting your worksite and identifying possible spots for damage.
The clinicians will collaborate with physical and occupational therapists to improve workplace ergonomics when they have the necessary data. This way, they can help you devise a good safety plan and give you human performance evaluations to screen candidates for physical and mental demands during recruitment.
Make A Rule About Wearing Safety Equipment
Almost all manufacturing jobs require their employees to wear personal protective equipment when in the field. This can range from a helmet, safety goggles, respirators, etc. The key is to ensure all your employees follow the rules and wear the appropriate PPE.
Several factory incidents can easily be prevented if employees wear protective gear as instructed. So, hire safety assurance officers who ensure everyone is well-equipped before starting work and put up signs around the worksite that remind workers to be mindful of wearing PPE. One extreme measure can be fining them if they don’t wear the equipment during a job.
Provides Safety Training
Do not expect your worker to know how to take safety measures in YOUR factory. Companies should be training their employees on workplace safety policies before expecting them to follow them. Teach them workplace ergonomics, a safe way to use industrial equipment, how to wear PPE properly, and conduct drills to handle emergencies. Hire health consultants to conduct seminars explaining the company’s health policy and how workers can take care of themselves if their jobs are physically demanding or if they work in dangerous areas.
Employees must also receive regular and specific training if they are stationed in dangerous areas to understand how to keep themselves safe. If you’ve bought new machinery, they need to be given proper instructions and training on safely operating it.
Schedule Routine Checkups For Equipment
After you’ve bought machinery, add routine checkups for it to your calendar. Make a timetable for all of your equipment and align checkups for them routinely. It can be extremely dangerous for your workers to use equipment that might be faulty, and leaving that to chance is a disservice on your part as an employer. Plus, that is a lawsuit waiting to happen! Ensure the checkups follow a routine service to ensure machines stay in their best shape and that everything is running smoothly and efficiently.
Follow Instructions On Equipment Handling
After receiving any equipment, the first order of business is to read through the manual. Always follow proper procedures when you’re using machinery. Are all the machine parts in appropriate places? Have you missed any instructions? Ensure that the tool guards are correctly adjusted and hand gloves are worn when building the equipment.
If you think the machine is making a noise it shouldn’t, or something feels incomplete to you, seek a professional right away to look at the situation. Ideally, call a professional from the company you bought the equipment from. They are likely to know what the issue is better than a third party. Also, train your employees to report issues right away and use the equipment for the purpose it’s built, don’t try to make something multi-purpose when it is not. Issue a severe warning against moving heavy pieces of machinery by themselves. Always use a forklift or a lift table. It will keep your employees safe, but your materials will not be mishandled.
Keep An Open Channel For Dialogue
Your employees should be able to come to you for any health and safety concerns. If they feel overworked or too tired on the job, often this can lead to neglect of the work and their safety. This is especially relevant for industrial workers who have a present mind and body while operating machinery and working in the field. What if they slip and make a mistake that can have irreparable damage?
It worsens if you aren’t aware of what is going on because you haven’t promoted a culture of openly communicating what is amiss to the employers. Working in the factory will be easy if workers can report hazards right away and identify safety concerns for you.
Conclusion
The safety of an employee should be your top priority at work. With the correct safety measures in place, you can reduce the number of accidents, and giving your workers the proper knowledge and information about workplace injuries will empower them. Healthy employees and safe working conditions will eventually improve the company’s bottom line.