Health and safety is a key concerns for manufacturing businesses. There are a lot more potential dangers than you would find in an average office. If you don’t keep on top of safety regulations, somebody could get seriously injured. This can lead to legal trouble if you are not careful too.
Manual handling accidents are among the most common health and safety issues faced by manufacturing companies. When people are carrying heavy items all day long, they can easily hurt themselves. It might be down to bad technique, obstructions on the floor, or because people are overworked. Whatever the reason, you need to take steps to mitigate the chances of a manual handling incident. These are some of the best changes you can make.
Avoid Manual Handling Where Possible
In many cases, manual handling is not necessary in the first place. By investing in automation technology, you can get equipment to do the heavy lifting for you, so your employees don’t have to. By creating conveyor systems (visit fluentconveyors.com to learn more about the components), you can move things around the factory floor quickly and safely. This drastically reduces the accidents caused by manual handling and improves efficiency at the same time, so it’s a worthwhile investment.
As technology advances, robotics for manufacturing are becoming incredibly complex. They can carry out all kinds of tasks that would normally be left to your employees. Consider investing in robotics technology to make your business safer and future-proof the operation. All of your competitors will be using this tech in the near future, so you better keep up.
Provide Lifting Equipment
Sometimes, machines can’t do the work for you, and employees will need to lift and move things. In that case, make sure you provide the right lifting equipment. Trolleys and forklifts can help to take the load. Give people lifting belts if they need to lift things by hand too. This simple safety equipment can make life easier for your employees and minimize the risks.
Give Regular Training
Knowing how to lift things safely is crucial. This is included in your onboarding training, but how often do you give people a refresher? People get into bad habits over time or simply forget the proper procedure. Giving regular training to make sure that people know how to lift safely can prevent accidents. You should also give more training when introducing new safe lifting equipment or automation tools, so everybody knows how to use them effectively. You can find information on safe lifting practices at mayoclinic.org.
Perform Risk Assessments
Risk assessments help you identify health and safety issues and rectify them before they cause an accident. You should perform regular risk assessments to look for obstructions on the floor, poor manual handling practices, or faulty equipment. Prevention is the key to good health and safety, so risk assessments should be carried out every few months, at least.
Manual handling accidents can be very costly to your business, but they are easily avoided. Just follow these safety tips, and you will notice a big improvement.
