Tips To Improve Industrial Safety for Your Workers
Workers’ safety and protection in the industries have been a growing concern for employees and labor unions around the world. For years, the organization failed to prioritize employee safety in industries. There have been casualties and accidents that have left workers dead or injured. The International Labor Organization and the government authorities have been pressing employers to take solid measures to ensure the safety of their workers and rightly so. In the past, many organizations have been fined heavily for poor working conditions and jeopardizing workplace safety. As an employer, you can save your organization from bad press and protect your workers by following some important tips.
Comprehensive Orientation and Training
The first step towards ensuring workplace safety is to devise a comprehensive orientation and training programs for your workers. Regardless of how well experienced your workforce is, the nature of hazards and the safety technologies continue to evolve. Moreover, every organization has different safety protocols and floor plans. Safety orientation is important whenever a new work joins in or when a new safety policy or equipment is introduced. Follow up training programs and drills are important for workers who have already undergone their orientation to keep them up to date of the SOPs.
Emergency Exits
A few years back there was a series of fire incidents in South Asian factories that produced well for various American and European brands. These incidents raised alarms due to the horrifying number of causalities that could have been easily avoided if there were proper emergency exits. It is not always possible for workers to eliminate fire or to wait for the fire engine to arrive. Well marked emergency exits are very crucial. The floor managers should ensure that every worker is aware of all emergency exits and escape routes.
Fire Fighting Equipment
Minor fire breakouts are quite common at workplaces. However, these minor breakouts can turn into catastrophic disasters if not controlled timely. There have often been cases where minor fires went out of control because there were no in-house fire equipment and the fire fighting team took their time to reach and launch an operation. Therefore smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, and other important firefighting equipment should be installed and the workers should be trained to be able to use.
Personal Protection Equipment
If your workers are required to work in an environment where they might be exposed to harmful chemicals or gases, they must be provided the necessary PPEs or Personal Protection Equipment. Regular surgical masks and gloves are not adequate to protect a human body from harmful gases and chemical compounds. It is the responsibility of the employer to ensure that the employee has the necessary protective gear for their safety.
Lockout Tagout Kits
While the most employer is familiar with common safety protocols such as fire equipment, mist factory owners are not familiar with Lotos or Lockout Tagout kits. Lockout Tagout is a lock and tag mechanism designed for machines that are under repair and are used by multiple workers. These tags prevent accidental startups of machines which can hurt workers that are in contact or proximity of the machine. If your employees are working with machines or hazardous equipment, these Lotos are a must-have for your organization. Make sure your workforce is trained about using them appropriately.