Nobody likes workplace injury lawsuits. They are expensive, time-consuming and could destroy your reputation. They can be common especially if your production floor is made up of fast-moving conveyor belts such as tabletop chain conveyors and other manufacturing equipment.
Since an employer priorities safety in the workspace, proper maintenance of your equipment and the right training might be all you need to keep everyone in check. Here are some of the things manufacturing companies could do to ensure that their staff and their equipment are safe.
Encourage Proper Repair and Maintenance
It’s everyone’s responsibility to keep gravity and power conveyor belts in their best condition at all times. Employees should make it their duty to report any malfunction or damage, no matter how small the problem may seem.
Management, on the other hand, must address these problems as soon as they crop up to guarantee everyone’s overall safety. They need to follow safety procedures for equipment maintenance and also during work operations.
Discourage Modification or Damage of Conveyor Systems
Companies should not modify conveyor belt systems to either get rid of annoying safety systems or make the system more accommodating to their non-standard operating procedures. Such modifications put everyone in danger and should be discouraged at all costs.
While some companies do deliberate modifications to suit their own operating methods and procedures, it is best not to modify any equipment unless it is the machine’s manufacturer. Check with the company that built the machine and ask for a custom-built modification. This might cost you more, but it is better than modifying it with amateurs.
You should also not penalize employees when your machinery’s moving parts start to break down. Other employees will fear to report regular tear and wear damage if you impose strict fining or repairs deductions on them. Have a transparent system that does not let employees take the monetary brunt of unintentional damage. Doing so will make them more obliged to report any malfunction that appears.
Insist on the Right Type of Clothing
Conveyor belts, no matter how safe they are, always have pinch points or exposed surfaces that can snag loose clothing and accessories. Encouraging everyone to wear work safety clothing could prevent such issues. Make it a requirement that your employees wear safety clothing before entering the production floor.
Never Use the Conveyor System in a Way it Wasn’t Designed For
Misusing conveyor belts will eventually lead to accidents. Misuse ranges from using the belt to carry material other than its original design. Using it to transport other materials other than what it is stipulated to convey could exceed its towing weight. It could break the belt and harm your staff and the other parts of the machine.
Encouraging everyone to be part of the active safety net that prevents heavy equipment and moving parts like conveyor belts from causing harm and injury is the best way to guarantee safety at your workplace. Combine this with timely repairs and maintenance and the number of workplace injuries will be close to zero.