Improving the health and safety of your employees is a top priority for any manufacturing company. This article will provide you with six tips on improving the health and safety within your own company so that you may make sure that everyone who works there can go home safe at the end of their workday.
A great way is to conduct an exit interview with each employee upon termination or resignation to learn more about what could be improved concerning workplace safety. By getting honest opinions from individuals leaving your organisation, you’ll get far better insight into the establishment’s actual hazards to employees. This article will look at six ways to increase health and safety protocols within your manufacturing business.
Appoint a Qualified Health and Safety Officer
A qualified health and safety officer should be appointed to oversee the company’s H&S policies. This person will also act as a liaison for any external agencies involved with managing your organisation’s safety, such as local fire departments or environmental protection groups. Remember that this is not just an administrative role – it has direct implications on how you operate your business day-to-day, so ensure you find someone who knows what they’re doing!
Maintain Equipment
The second point might seem like a no-brainer, but nevertheless, more than 50% of smaller manufacturers don’t do this step which includes regular maintenance checks of equipment. A lot can go wrong with machinery if it isn’t maintained regularly, so make sure all machines are in good working order.
Regular maintenance will save you a lot of money on repairs or replacements and prevent more serious accidents, so it’s worth the time and effort to find an affordable service provider for this task!
Listen to Your Staff
The third point is not explicitly related to health and safety, but if your staff are scared, they may put themselves at risk due to anxiety or panic attacks. This could be from various factors such as bullying in the workplace, lack of opportunities for advancement, or limited access to resources needed on-site like clean water – all causes that need addressing straight away. Ensure that no form of discrimination occurs within your company too. In any situation where harassment occurs (verbal abuse, physical assault), make sure there is a dedicated reporting channel for staff to express concerns.
Manage Hazardous Materials Correctly
Always check the safety data sheets of all hazardous materials to be stored on-site because there may not always be a clear label. In addition, the staff responsible for managing these substances should have an in-depth knowledge of H&S policies and emergency response procedures – do some research into your options before making a decision! Also, consider investing in equipment that stores and keeps hazardous materials safe; this can be anything from the disposal of used materials or even partnering up with an oil tank manufacturer. By getting this right, you’ll already start increasing the safety of employees and staff.
Maintaining good health and safety standards is necessary if you want to keep employees safe while they work within your company’s boundaries, but it doesn’t just happen by accident. You need time, money, effort, and patience to get this right; however, hard work comes with great reward, so make sure you put in as much dedication as possible when implementing any changes!
Utilise Personal Protective Equipment Right
Personal protective equipment is necessary to avoid any accidents while employees are working on site. Make sure your staff know how and when they’re allowed to wear this safety gear, as well as the correct times and places for storage of these items! A lot can go wrong if you don’t take care of personal protection – from cuts or bruises up to fatal injuries if a toxic substance is spilt, so both managers and workers must understand their roles.
In addition to knowing what PPE should be used at any time (such as gloves), make sure there are plenty available on-site for everyone who needs them. You might not feel like spending money stocking up on rubber gloves, but it is worth it in the long run.
Give Sufficient Training on Equipment
Your staff must know how to use equipment properly, and it’s the responsibility of management to see this gets done. All employees should be given an induction on any machinery they’ll be using regularly and proper training when changes are made for them to stay safe within their work environment. If you don’t want people getting hurt, then equip them with all the knowledge needed – after all, prevention is always better than cure!
The most important thing about H&S policies is making sure everyone knows what they’re responsible for: ensuring cleanliness or checking safety data sheets before handling hazardous materials; we have found many organisations forget some steps in between, which can lead to dire consequences. It’s your job to make sure all safety procedures are always taken seriously.
Title image by Oli Hale from Pixabay
