Top 5 Industrial Factory Safety Tips

Industrial factories play an important role in the country's infrastructure and economy. They create hundreds of thousands of new jobs while stimulating the market with products and services. But like all workplaces, there's an inherit risk of injury for workers in industrial factories. The good news is that employers can minimize this risk by following some simple steps.

Clean Up Spilled Liquids

Whether it's oil, water or any other liquid, employers should train their workers to clean up any spilled liquids in a timely manner. As you may already know, slip-and-fall accidents are one of the most common types of work-related injuries in the U.S. According to the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI), more than 8 million people seek medical attention from hospital emergency rooms each year as a result of slip-and-fall accidents.

Maintain Equipment

Another important step towards creating a safe working environment in an industrial factory is to maintain all equipment and heavy machinery. When you're busy running a factory, it's easy to overlook the importance of equipment and machine maintenance. After all, what's the point if maintaining such equipment if it still works and functions as intended? Well, when machines and equipment are not properly maintained according to the manufacturer's specifications, it can place workers as risk for serious injury or even fatality.

Ventilation

Employers should use proper ventilation in their factories to reduce the risk of respiratory disease and/or illness. This is particularly true if the factory produces airborne contaminants, as such contaminants may accumulate over time to create a dangerous environment for workers. With proper ventilation, however, the risk of injury and illness is significantly minimized.

Eliminate Fire Hazards

Are there fire hazards in your workplace? The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says that all combustible materials should be "stored in covered metal receptacles and disposed of daily." If you aren't storing combustible materials in a metal container, or disposing of them daily, you could be violating a federal law while placing workers at risk for injury.

Encourage Injury Reporting

Many employees are fearful of reporting work-related injuries and illness, fearing retaliation by their employer. But when employees don't report incidents, the problem remains unfixed; thus, placing other employees' at risk for the same injury or illness. Employers should encourage workers to report all work-relayed injuries and illnesses to promote a safe working environment.