Manufacturing industry

Manufacturing is littered with dangers. While an element of risk is always somewhat inevitable, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do everything in your power to mitigate the chances of their occurring.

Take your responsibilities seriously here, and you’ll be able to nurture a happy and productive workforce that’s unimpeded by health concerns. You may also be able to stave off legal action also and protect the public reputation of your firm. In the end, all it takes is for one mistake to slip through the cracks, and the competency of your manufacturing business has grounds to be questioned or doubted.

To make progress here, it could be helpful to revisit occupational health concerns. What might they involve in manufacturing, and how you can counteract them? Keep reading to find out.

Hearing Loss                                           

If your manufacturing workers frequently work around heavy machinery, then the volume of your technology operations could be cause for concern.

Unfortunately, should employees suffer hearing loss while working for you they may understandably seek to sue you, so it’s important to have some measures in place in keeping workers safe and happy. There are a few effective strategies you can implement here to better things. They may include:

  • Enquiring about machinery before purchase: Reputable suppliers of your technology should be transparent about the level of noise your machines will cause. Don’t work with anyone who is evasive in answering enquiries here.
  • Carry out risk assessments: Ensuring that all your quiet machinery is placed away from workers strategically may prevent harm. Installing anti-vibration mounting may reduce rattling elsewhere in the premises because of loud noise. Lining walls with sound absorbent materials may also be fruitful.
  • Providing a steady supply of PPE: Access to earmuffs or earplugs are essential. Missing stock should be flagged and immediately replaced to prevent any shortages.
  • Rotating staff: No individual should withstand loud noises for long daily, even with protection. Ensure that a rota is in effect where others can resume responsibilities.

It is also vital by law that all areas where hearing protect is required are clearly marked. Follow all of these measures, and the chances of hearing loss occurring in any of your workers should be greatly reduced.

Skin Irritations

Manufacturing work premises can contain many different substances and chemicals that your workers may become exposed to.

After that, skin irritations may develop into further complications like dermatitis, and left untreated and depending on your line of work, some afflictions can later manifest into more serious illnesses such as cancer.

To protect your workers here, substituting chemicals with less harmful variants could prove useful. You could also reiterate your company’s hygiene’s policies across company wide communications, ensuring standards are maintained should workers encounter contaminated or hazardous areas.

You should also remind staff to check themselves over after leaving work too, and to flag any mild suspicions about their skin with their nearest GP. Any potential problems need to be caught as early as possible to prevent the risk of them developing into something more. After all, you may implement measures, but that’s no guarantee that all workers will strictly adhere to them 24/7.

Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome

Even workplace tools can impart risks beyond the odd accident or injury.

Excessive use of vibrating tools can cause an affliction known as Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS), and fortunately it is mostly avoidable. Effective countermeasures include:

  • Managing employee time responsibly: Create a rota for using vibrating tools in a similar vein to those you create for being around loud machinery.
  • Reassessing work practices: Is the use of a vibrating tool a genuine necessity in every scenario for which they are currently being used? If alternative tools or methods are available, bring those back into play on occasion.
  • Refer workers to occupational staff: Occupational health physicians and nurses will investigate the condition further and advise accordingly.

So long as both you and your employees undergo a balanced approach to using vibrating manufacturing machinery, all should be well. Serve a reminder if appropriate, as often these types of measures may be forgotten overtime. Greener workers may see using vibrating tools as more ‘fun’ or as a means to cut corners too, so perhaps caution them against such outlooks to their work.

Respiratory Illnesses

Manufacturing workers can sometimes be exposed to dust and other harmful air pollutants.

If these problems are left unaddressed, then mild breathing problems and bad coughs can escalate into something uglier. These developments could include disorders such as occupational asthma, or even in some cases, lung cancer. Obviously, the risk of these problems cannot be allowed to persist.

Therefore, it’s essential to have appropriate dust extraction countermeasures in place. Extractly provide well-priced dust extraction systems, some of which are counted among leading technologies in the sector. Maintaining the health and safety of your workers is their priority, but they also succeed in driving down your energy costs and upholding system quality and reliability. Work with them closely so that both you and your staff can breathe easily.

Coronavirus

Of course, the coronavirus has decimated industries the world over. Supply chains have been affected, and there unfortunately has been a desperate need to cut costs however possible for many.

Still, though logistics have been hard hit, the health concerns remain for many irrespective of their professions. It’s unlikely that all manufacturers have avoided being stricken by the virus or transmitting it themselves, even in spite of their best efforts.

Staying to true to social distancing measures and thoroughly cleaning workstations will reduce the chances of the virus’ spread. Quarantining workers or enforcing work from schemes where possible should also contribute to your efforts. You’ve likely been upholding these measures already. However, though vaccines are being rolled out, the threat of new variants is ever present, so try not to undo your good work thus far by laxing your efforts.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are many occupational diseases in manufacturing. Some may be more temporary than others, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t eradicate them while you can. Persistence and diligence are key here, as well as effective communication with your staff to maintain standards company wide. Once worker well being is put before production quotas, everything should improve across the board.