The Top Safety Concerns in the Manufacturing Industry
Heavy-duty industrial equipment is necessary to get certain manufacturing jobs done, but it poses unique risks for the workers interacting with the machines each day. It’s important to take precautions to keep them and others safe, but there are so many pitfalls to maintaining a safe environment. To better prepare your facilities, here are the top safety concerns in the manufacturing industry.
Hearing Loss
When the noise in your manufacturing facility exceeds 85 decibels for long periods, workers’ hearing is at risk if they don’t have proper ear protection. Hearing loss is a gradual, long-term health effect that is irreversible. This is when small hairs in the inner ear responsible for converting sound vibrations into electrical messages to your brain die. Hearing loss can even occur suddenly in the workplace—one loud impulse can leave your ear permanently damaged. To protect against the abrasive noises in your workspace, make sure employees are wearing hearing protection. Earmuffs or Earbands typically do the trick.
Machine Maintenance and Safeguarding
Heavy machinery often has many complex moving parts that you need to maintain to keep everything up and running and to make sure employees stay safe. Structure out specific protocols for regular maintenance, especially if you know of something that needs routine replacement. Better yet, train your employees on how machines can go wrong and what to do to prevent malfunctions. It’s imperative to properly safeguard your machinery, too. If used, your workers don’t have to think as much about how to operate a machine safely. And certain safeguards can mitigate the effects of a malfunction as well. Maintain your safeguarding measures just as you would everything else—relying too heavily on fail-safe operations and other safety implementations without maintenance is still dangerous.
Unrestricted Access
Another significant safety concern in the manufacturing industry is keeping people without safety knowledge and the proper clearance out of dangerous areas. Like any workplace, family members and others unfamiliar with the inner workings of your manufacturing facility occasionally visit. Make sure you prioritize clarity when you mark different zones in your building—large and colorful signage and consistent taping will help prevent an accident and allow for the public to have some access.
