Safety managers and engineers have been working tirelessly to create a safer and healthier workplace for manufacturing employees. Part of this involves providing safety training for the entire manufacturing workforce. By providing proper training, the risk of workplace injury, illness, and death can be prevented.
Here’s a guide to manufacture health and safety training.
- Manual Handling
Over a third of all workplace injuries is due to manual handling. These include work-related musculoskeletal disorders such as injuries to the arms, legs, and joints. Manual handling can refer to a wide variety of activities in the workplace, such as lifting, pushing, pulling, and carrying objects. If employees are not trained on how to perform these activities properly, then there will be a high risk of injury.
As part of the manual handling training, managers should be taught how to gauge an employee’s capability to lift or carry heavy objects. They should also evaluate the nature of the load as well as the environmental conditions to ensure the health and safety of the workforce.
In summary, managers should be responsible for assessing the risks within the workplace in terms of manual handling activities, such as moving and lifting heavy loads. They should also review and monitor their risk assessments while taking into account any changes in the operation.
- Noise Awareness
Employees working in a manufacturing setting are often exposed to loud noises coming from machinery and equipment that produce a high level of noise. This can potentially lead to hearing problems. In fact, more than 11 million people in the UK are suffering from different forms of hearing loss and a big percentage of this is due to the high level of noise that they encounter at their workplaces.
Because of this, noise awareness training is important for managers and engineers working in a manufacturing setting. The training should teach them how to deal with the risks associated with exposure to loud noises. They should be taught how to manage noise and the proper way of controlling the source of the noise. Above all, they should know the proper way to use hearing protectors and be given a checklist that can help them to identify if a particular noise is a hazard.
- Fire & COSHH Training
Fire safety training is important in every workplace, especially in manufacturing companies that would sometimes deal with substances that are prone to fire. The training should ensure that managers know how to act safely to minimize the risk of fire and what to do in the event of a fire. They should also be taught basic fire training techniques to prevent small fires from turning into major emergencies.
On the other hand, COSHH training for managers involves teaching them how to safely and effectively deal with hazardous substances in their workplaces. Managers should be made aware of the risks associated with handling dangerous substances and the precautions they should take to ensure a safe working environment for everyone.
- Food Hygiene for Food Manufacture
Companies that manufacture food items should train employees about food hygiene and safety. The lack of awareness, expertise and training regarding manufacturing food hygiene can have a major impact not only on the company but also on every client and food retailer that purchases the food products. Food contamination that starts from manufacture can quickly spread throughout the national food chain leading to serious consequences.
Therefore, managers in a food manufacturing setting should have a heightened understanding of safety responsibilities. They should be taught how to safely monitor food production and train employees to be aware of proper hygiene practices in the workplace.
