Over the past few decades, most production lines have been made safer, faster, and more efficient, but those working in the manufacturing sector on the factory floor can still find their occupation to be dangerous. Injuries are bad news for everybody – they can result in lawsuits and severely compromised employee morale, as well as greatly impacted productivity and reputational damage. It’s unlikely that all injuries will be able to be prevented, but simply by taking a few simple initiatives, the rate of injury in your production line can be reduced. Here are five great ways for you to improve the safety of your production line.
- Replace Your Conveyor Belt
Fluentconveyors.com has lots of information about why it is vital that you replace your conveyor belt. Not only do they mention the need for replacement conveyors to improve efficiency and the quality of your production line (as they reduce damaged products), but they help to avoid workplace injuries and other safety-related problems. The belt is the most important part of any conveyor system, so it needs to be maintained properly.
- Make Safety A Priority
Those production lines with the best safety records in the world manage to maintain their safety efficacy by having a great safety culture. This culture trickles down from the top, as C-level executives make decisions and pledge to uphold safety in every respect. A great example of this is with one of the richest men in the world. After Tesla’s manufacturing facility was found to have higher than average injury rates, Chief Executive Elon Musk sent an email to all his employees saying that if anybody got injured, they needed to email him directly so that he could work to solve the problems that caused the injuries. This is a great example of creating a culture that puts safety above all else – including executives’ egos. This could involve making sure that all workers take regular rest breaks, which have been found to go a long way to reducing the safety issues relating to extreme fatigue.
- Utilize Technology
Technologies including IoT enablement, automation, and advanced analytics can be used brilliantly to improve safety. With the advent of wearable technology and embedded sensors, more and more workplace injuries are being prevented, whether they are from falls, overexertion, electrical injuries, and injuries relating to heavy machinery. Making sure you use the right technologies is a great way to make sure that your production line is as safe as it can be and that your workers are fully protected constantly.
- Consult with Workers
Simply saying that you prioritize safety will do very little – you need to get your hands dirty and do in-depth research by studying your production line and asking your floor workers. Those with a lot of experience will likely be able to give you many suggestions relating to improving efficiency. When you actively seek their input, you will soon develop a list of best practices that will help you to set policies that actually make a difference.
- View Safety Statistics as Competitive Data
Safety is best thought of as a team sport. Not only will malfunctions typically injure more than one person, but nobody wants to see their coworkers get hurt or feel unsafe at work. You should try to encourage healthy competition by giving workers some perks or rewards if they repeatedly abide to safety policies and practices. T-shirts and trophies are great examples.
