Health and safety is a major cost for all businesses, costing up to a billion dollars every year to the American economy. From simple trips and falls to more serious manufacturing accidents, these can cost your business massive amounts in fines, days lost, and loss of skills and expertise.
The best way to reduce these costs is to have a clear health and safety policy as well as ensure that employees understand and buy into protecting themselves in your workplace. The way that you store materials on site can be a huge part of your on-site health and safety. This is one of the most overlooked aspects of site safety, and as such, it is worth looking at the things that you should be doing on site, regardless of the type of construction or home renovation site.
Fix or roll up cabling and electric wiring
Any trip hazards such as temporary electrical connections, cabling to generators, and tools must be fixed down and or rolled up and stored safely when not in use. Cabling, wires, pipes, and ventilation ducts are the biggest trip hazard in a business and should all be rolled up and stored out of the way.
Bale waste and recycling
Often, the case in many businesses is that only recyclable materials are well packed and baled out of the way, while waste is left where it is or simply pilled up around the bins and waste receptacles. All waste should be sorted, and both recycling and waste then baled ready for removal from site. Use the appropriate grade of wire and ensure it is from a reputable bale wire supplier. It’s understandable, and the business may not want to spend both time and money on the packaging and baling of waste, yet it is easier to transport and remove as well as being less of a hazard if it is baled and packed out of the way.
Mark and label all stored equipment and materials
All materials, equipment, especially anything hazardous, must be clearly marked and stored in a suitable position on site. Employees must be informed about anything they are asked to move and deal with and the easiest way to do this is by having everything clearly marked and labeled.
Provide the requisite PPE
All staff who do any form of manual handling, carrying, moving, or dealing with any products and processes must have the right type of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) supplied. Items such as gloves, steel-capped boots, and hi-visibility vests are the basics but can be responsible for protecting staff and employees from a number of known and common workplace accidents.
Health and safety are a major concern for all businesses, and for manufacturing concerns specifically, the days lost to incidents and accidents will cost money and affect production. Applying basic safety and using common sense is always the first step; however, the details and advice noted above are the best ways to start reducing health and safety issues in your manufacturing business.
