5+ Ways to Make Your Factory Floor Safer According to Experts

In the past few years, several international studies, which have been conducted around workplace injuries rank the manufacturing sector third. At first glance, the same might appear to be obvious given the risks involved in operating heavy engineering machines.

However, such businesses, which come with risks ought to have done better in dealing with safety and security issues of workers on the factory floor.

For a business, an injury can not only lead to the suspension of production but also involve complicated lawsuits. This is why many experts are of the opinion that business owners should pay proper attention to safety issues on the factory floor. Attending proper training like the osha 10 online classes is imperative to keep up with the safety standards.

This is important not only for the safety of workers but also to ensure that the business’ interests are protected at all times.

List of 5 Ways to Make Your Factory Floor Safer According to Experts

The factory floor is a risky place to be. However, following a few simple thumb rules can help businesses make the factory floor safer for all employees. Therefore, follow along to learn how you can make the factory floors safer for you and your employees.

1. Injuries from Equipment Damage-

Factory workers work on equipment, which might be running for twenty hours straight. Without regular maintenance, there is a chance that they can break down or cause serious harm to the employees working on them.

Factory owners should ensure that regular maintenance work is being carried out at all times on the equipment. This will not only improve the longevity and efficiency of the machine but also prevent it from becoming dangerous for the workers and causing injuries.

2. Protection Against Fire Hazards-

If you have ever visited a factory, you might have seen the thousands of hanging wires, fuel, and the friction of the machines at work. Factories, especially the ones, which specialize in heavy manufacturing are prone to fire accidents.

Most factory owners follow a standard fire safety guideline. They close off the sections with the help of roller shutters, which prevent the fire from spreading to other areas. Evacuation is carried out and extinguishers are used. As a business owner, you need to get a roller shutter quote in Sydney to install them in your factory.

3. Prevention Against Slip and Fall Accidents-

With so much grease, raw materials, and the movement of heavy machines, factory floors are ripe places for slip and fall accidents. It is important that the management pays attention to cleaning up aisles, putting out warning signs, and spreading effective communication.

Slip and fall accidents can prove to be a costly affair for businesses, as employees can file Personal Injury Lawsuits for lengthy compensation. It is important that inspections are done at regular intervals throughout the day in this regard.

4. Employee Training and Orientation-

Employees should not only be trained to operate machines. In fact, they must also go through dedicated drills in order to avoid and deal with accidents. What they should do, how they should evacuate, and what some things need to be shut off are all essential components of training.

Employees must go through regular drills in order to remain vigilant and sharp. This can go a long way in ensuring the SOPs or ‘Standard Operating Procedures’ are established and known to everyone in the event of an accident.

5. Proper Disposal of Waste-

Factories must dispose of waste carefully and ethically. Factories should take specialized care while handling toxic byproducts or wastes. Otherwise, the lives of the employees might end up in danger. In some cases, this waste can be flammable and highly reactive. This is true for industries dealing with chemical components.

There should be a proper structure for storing, processing, and removing waste from the factory floor. Businesses must practice ethical sustainability in order to keep the environment happy and safe. Companies must follow stringent regulations while dumping waste.

6. Control Overcrowding

Crowding on the factory floor is usually not seen as something alarming. However, overcrowding is touted to be one of the biggest reasons behind workplace injuries. Just imagine double the capacity of workers working on one single floor. The scenario is just a disaster waiting to happen. Therefore, using means like collaborative robots or automated systems can help businesses deal with crowding.

As a result, it is of seminal importance to adjust the shift schedule. At any point, the floor must not be over 50% full. This thumb-rule would enable you to keep the factory floor decluttered and seamless in nature. Which in turn would enhance the overall workplace safety.

Rotational shifts could be the best answer to this problem. This would enable you to keep the factory floor decluttered while the production rolls at the same time.

7. Add Demarcations

Education and training are of seminal importance. However, demarcation is equally important. Studies show that even skilled and trained factory workers end up in problems due to shoddy safety demarcations. Therefore, companies should use visual cues in order to make things easier.

Use fluorescent colors in order to demarcate points of interest or hazard. This would help people to understand how and where to go. In the meantime, you must not only add demarcation. In fact, you should also conduct seminars and events to educate people on the meaning of the signs. This should clarify everything for everyone.

8. Automate

The final piece of advice is to automate or use collaborative robots. This must sound like a suggestion to take away jobs. However, it is just a means to reduce workplace injuries and accidents. Collaborative robots can not only improve overall safety but also enable you to make production more streamlined.

Therefore, you must never dismiss the option to automate. However, automation is not an easy task to take on. In fact, automation can be really pricey. Therefore, it is of seminal importance to have enough funds and a clear-cut plan of action in order to make automation a dream come true.

The Final Word

By following all the above-mentioned points of the article, business owners can ensure that-

• Their employees are safe and sound and can work to their best
• The business is not at the receiving end of any lawsuit or litigation
• Production processes do not suffer adversely because of accidents and work hold-ups
• The business’ licenses are up-to-date and do not get canceled because of the accidents

In other words, ensuring that the factory floor is safe, is something, which has its own advantages for businesses. Rather than seeing the maintenance as some form of liability, business owners should look at it as an investment and insurance.

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