Establishing clear manufacturing safety guidelines is crucial for reducing accidents and injuries in the workplace. They keep workers safe, eliminate injury, and help employees work more efficiently while remaining compliant with industry regulations.
Implement a safety culture across the company
You can only achieve daily workplace safety by incorporating accident prevention into the company culture. Make sure that safety is highlighted from day one of employee training, and teach your workers how to identify and report safety issues. Let them know that everyone is responsible for maintaining safety at work, and encourage all team members to speak up if they see a safety issue. You should also hold regular safety meetings with your team.
A great way to implement a culture of safety is to follow the 6s method, a methodology that originated in the manufacturing industry to promote productivity and establish clear guidelines and procedures.
The term builds on the original 5S method, which includes the principles sort, set, shine, standardize, and sustain. However, the 6S method adds the element of safety.
Here’s a quick overview of each element:
- Sort: This involves separating items used on a daily basis from those that are not. Sorting helps maintain a decluttered workspace so there’s less risk of accidents.
- Set: Set refers to keeping your factory in order by making sure all equipment is where it’s meant to be. This may involve creating physical boundaries within the space to make sure people work where they’re meant to.
- Shine: Shine refers to cleaning your work environment on a regular basis.
- Standardize: Managers need to create a structure to ensure employees follow all workplace procedures. This may involve creating training documents and holding meetings to teach workers about the systems in place.
- Sustain: This step focuses on making sure everyone follows all workplace procedures regularly.
- Safety: This final element focuses primarily on safety. In addition to establishing standard company procedures, leaders must identify safety hazards and how to prevent injury in the workplace.
The 6S method is crucial in the manufacturing industry because it improves productivity, efficiency, and safety by promoting workplace organization, standardization, and ongoing improvement.
Prevent risks with early reporting
A dripping hose, an open window, a loose bolt, or even a wet floor might cause incidents, damages, or even injuries—so make sure every hazard is taken seriously and reported right away. Employee management apps, like Connectem, come with customizable digital forms that workers can fill out to report any safety hazards directly to management.
Doing so can raise the overall safety standards at your facility and help increase production performance rates.
Implement customized safety checklists
Create daily checklists to ensure employees follow safety procedures and don’t accidentally injure themselves or others. When employees are required to go through checklists at the beginning or end of their shifts, the chances of injury drop dramatically.
To start, go over all manufacturing safety topics and work processes and identify anything that can lead to hazards. Create checklists with action items employees need to complete to prevent injury.
Require safety gear and safety equipment
Operating heavy objects and machinery, exposure to toxic materials, and working in dark and cluttered spaces can all affect people’s health. These things can also expose factories to potential risks like fires, explosions, accidents, and injuries.
That’s why wearing safety gear and protective clothing should be an absolute must for employees at all times, such as gloves, safety glasses, masks, helmets, and protective clothing.
Provide comprehensive safety training
Workplace safety training in the manufacturing industry prevents injuries and might even save a life. Proper training teaches employees how to protect themselves and their coworkers from accidental injury.
While it may seem like a lot of work, creating training materials and training courses doesn’t need to be that time‐consuming. You can easily create your own courses and materials and deliver them with an employee training app like Connecteam. That way, employees can access all of the materials directly from their phones or tablets.
Upload safety documents, videos of workers operating machinery, and quizzes to teach your staff how to minimize safety risks. Use short training modules and mix up the mediums to keep employees engaged.
In addition, refresher training is essential to ensure that workplace safety is consistently emphasized.
When you create a refresher course, upload it to your employee training app and set an automatic notification the next time employees open the app. That way, they won’t miss it, and you can track their progress and make sure they complete the course. You can even provide a digital form for them to sign upon completion.
Properly use equipment and tools
Handling tools and machinery incorrectly is one of the most prevalent causes of workplace injuries. Therefore, make sure your team knows how to properly use every piece of equipment they need to operate and that they only use each tool for its intended purpose. You should also implement a program to clean all equipment regularly to prevent misuse.
Prevent slips, trips, and falls
As the second most prevalent cause of nonfatal injuries in the workplace, it’s crucial that aisles remain clear and spills are properly cleaned to prevent slips, trips, and falls. To prevent these unsafe conditions, encourage your employees to keep their work spaces clear or even provide a bell they can ring when they see a potential hazard. That way, you can address the issue as soon as possible.
Another way to encourage fall protection is to use drip pans and guards to clean spills immediately. Also, make sure to check that there are no holes, loose boards, or nails projecting from the floor. If any of these hazards are noted, be sure to replace or fix them right away.
Keep work areas organized and clear of clutter
Maintaining a clean and organized workplace should be a fundamental part of your team’s daily routine. A clean and organized workspace is important for workplace safety because it.
#safetyfirst #safety #workplacesafety #industrialsafety #safetytips
For more information :
Please visit Website – www.safetyfirstmagazine.com