5 Tips For Keeping Your Employees Safe When Manufacturing

In the following post we will look at some important safety measures that should be taken to ensure your employees are kept out of danger while working in manufacturing. Although these tips can be applied to any sector, they are especially important in manufacturing as they help to make sure your business is operating to the highest level.

When safety hasn’t been made a priority, you are likely to experience operational delays that prevent your product from being completed and dispatched to your customers and clients. One way to ensure that your manufacturing company’s working environment is safe for all who use it, is by working with an experienced health and safety consultant. Ultimately, working with a health and safety expert can help your business to benefit from the latest health & safety advice so that accidents can be prevented and productivity in the workplace can be maximized.

With all of this in mind, the tips below will help your safety manager ensure that your manufacturing plant or factory is operating safely.

Ensure the Workplace Is Free of Health and Safety Hazards

You need to make sure that your manufacturing workplace is constantly monitored to ensure it remains compliant with OSHA regulations, rules and standards. When buying manufacturing equipment from suppliers like Platforms And Ladders Sale & Deals ensure the item states it complies with OSHA safety standards. Items that are not compliant with standards or installed incorrectly can present a health and safety hazard. Ensure that the workplace is kept clean and free from hazardous chemicals as well. If dangerous chemicals are used, you need to ensure that those handling these materials follow proper safe working guidelines such as installing adequate ventilation and dust control systems.

Along with proper training being put in place, this can be done by using color coding, floor marking, posters, signs and labels reminding employees and any visitors to the premises of the dangers.

Ensure Employees Follow Safe Working Practices

All employees must have access to and know how to properly operate and maintain equipment and tools that are in good working condition. This means that they have to be trained and sufficiently qualified to use specific equipment and tools.

You also need to make sure that that SOPs or Safety Standard Operating Procedures are followed and effectively communicated to your employees.

Follow Employer OSHA Requirements

The safety manager, additionally, is the person in your organization that ensures that your business is operating in compliance with the employer requirements outlined by the OSHA. This includes:

Reporting any fatal incidents and accidents that involve the hospitalization of 3 or more of your employees to your local or the closest OSHA office within 8 hours of them occurring. It is also the job of your safety manager to ensure that all records pertaining to work-related illnesses, injuries and accidents are properly maintained.

You may be exempt, if your company meets the following criteria:

• Only have 10 employees or less
• Is a organization that has been classified as the OSHA as being in a low-hazard sector
• Provides medical training and examinations that meet standards. For example, implimentation of accredited first aid or cpr training courses.
• The necessary OSHA poster is on display in your work premises in a prominent place
• Supply the name of individuals who have authority to represent the employees who can, if required, accompany OSHA compliance officers visiting your business premises for inspections.
• Make sure that any documents verifying abatement and citations from OSHA are place close to or at the actual area where an incident occurred. Until 3 days have past or any violation has been sorted, the citations must be kept posted.
• Make sure if the OSHA has cited any violations that these are appropriately dealt with and corrected within the set deadlines highlighted on the citation and that any documents verifying abatement are submitted.

Determining What The Safety Manager Is Responsible For

As safety managers in a manufacturing business have a wide range o responsibilities, how do you manage to accomplish all they need to do? Below we have outlined some of the main functions of safety managers, that help businesses to meet the requirements of the OSHA. While in mid-sized companies almost all of these are the responsibility of the safety manager, in smaller companies they may be taken on by the HR manager or the owner him or herself and in larger corporations they may even be dealt with by individual safety assistants.

• Workplace health and safety meeting planning participation
• Making sure all supervisors and managers have the relevant health and safety, accident investigation and prevention training
• Making sure supervisors and managers provide appropriate information and training regarding safety to employees
• Taking the lead in the development of practices and measures for preventing accidents from occurring and ensures the company is compliant with standards set by the OSHA.

Using Good Quality Signs To Improve the Safety of Manufacturing Premises

By far one of the most crucial responsibilities of the safety manager is to make sure there are effective, clear and durable labels and signs used throughout the workplace.