Five Industrial Safety Measures For Your Company

Every type of business has workplace safety issues that are unique to its particular industry. But despite differences in workplaces, most employers do have safety issues in common that they all need to address.

Falls Can Happen Anywhere

One of the most common types of accidents is falls. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says there were nearly 220,000 falls, slips and trips injuries in U.S. workplaces in 2012. Falls frequently occur on construction sites, but they can happen any place where employees perform maintenance activities like painting or electrical work, need to access high shelves or just want to hang some decorations. Where climbing is not a regular activity, employees might use an unstable chair or stand on piled materials. Having a sturdy ladder around and training employees on the simple rules of ladder use is a worthwhile precaution.

Moving Machinery Injures the Unaware

Most workplaces have some type of machinery, and with machinery comes repairs. When employees jump in to fix jammed or stalled machines without thinking about the consequences first, they can be injured when a jammed part unexpectedly moves when freed. While heavy-duty machinery like presses and saws cause serious injuries, even smaller equipment can injure an unwary employee with a hand in the wrong place at the wrong time. Institute clear safety procedures that require machines to be unplugged and non-operational before attempting any type of repair.

Don't Slip Up on Spills

Workplaces using large quantities of chemicals are naturally susceptible to spills, but spills can occur in many workplaces. Food processors with oily water, manufacturing floors where oil drips from machinery occur and places with large quantities of stored cleaning supplies all need to address hazardous spills. You can find a large variety of spill kits from SHS and others on the market; keeping the appropriate type handy where a spill can occur is a prudent measure.

Lighting the Darkness

Lighting is a safety consideration common to just about every workplace but frequently overlooked. Substandard lighting can cause falls on staircases, hand injuries where employees are reaching near moving machinery and serious injuries to pedestrian employees on dimly-lit construction sites or in warehouses. Installing adequate workplace lighting standards is an easy precautionary measure.

Eyes Ahead

A warehouse employee driving a forklift and an administrative assistant walking through a file room have the same safety issue to different degrees. Not watching where you're going is a universal safety mistake.

While the circumstances may vary among workplaces, the causes of work-related accidents can be the same. Don't let these common causes of workplace injuries strike your business.