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safety hazards for your manufacturing employees

The Safety Hazards to Inform Your Manufacturing Employees Of

As an employer, it’s your responsibility to make sure your employees have a safe environment. An accident can mean an injury, a drop in productivity and employee morale, damaged equipment, lawsuits, fines, and more. And of course, there are OSHA guidelines to ensure this. You can do your part by communicating potential dangers to your team so they can protect themselves and each other. Awareness is the first step. Here are safety hazards you should communicate with your team.

Slips, trips, and falls

Everyone is susceptible to a fall, slip, or trip, especially when there are loose materials in heavily trafficked areas, and if people are commonly carrying heavy materials that block their vision. Keep walkways clear, clean up spilled materials as soon as they happen, and encourage employees to have the proper footwear.

Equipment safety

Train your employees on the proper way to use machines and equipment, including how to lockout/tagout and how to tell when something is wrong or malfunctioning.

Fire hazards

First, everyone should know how to respond in case of a fire—where the exits, staircases, and fire extinguishers are—it’s probably part of their orientation when hired, and signs should be posted around the building. Also, teach your team what could potentially start a fire. They should know which onsite materials are especially flammable and where the heat sources are.

Safety equipment 

Your company should pay personal protective equipment (PPE), such as safety masks, eyewear, hard hats, and headgear, reflective vests, gloves, and earplugs, available to your employees. Require them to wear it when necessary and encourage them to wear it when it isn’t. They should know the proper way to wear it, how to clean it, how to store it, and how to tell when it’s damaged or broken. If it is, it needs to be replaced. And you should wear the necessary equipment, too. Your employees will follow your example.

Lifting 101

One of the most common workplace injuries is related to the muscles in the back, shoulders, and neck due to lifting heavy objects. Educate your team on the structure of the spine, proper lifting techniques, and how they can prevent injuries in their bodies when they bend, stoop, lift, and twist. Encourage them to stretch and warm up the muscles before their shifts. For office workers who sit at a screen most of the day, educate them about good posture, how to avoid carpal tunnel syndrome, and to take frequent breaks.

Reporting and communicating

All your employees should know how to go about communicating and reporting when there’s a potential danger. It might be faulty equipment, a spilled substance, or broken safety equipment. When something does happen, an area needs to be secured, and the incident needs to be reported immediately. How mishaps and injuries are treated can affect the magnitude of the damages.

Keep your employees satisfied and engaged!

For more tips on how to create a safe work environment to keep your employees satisfied and engaged, check out our website.

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