Minimising manufacturing risks

The manufacturing sector is said to have the eighth-highest fatality rate and second-highest serious claim frequency rate in Australia.

• Vehicle incident
• Being hit by falling objects
• Muscular stress while lifting, carrying, or placing objects.

Manufacturing businesses can always enhance their handles to minimalizing perils and threats, and we extend these tips for you:

Using, Handling, Storage and Transportation of hazardous chemicals

Factor in these approaches to deal with hazardous substances in your workplace:

• Review and regularly update action plans for health and safety reps
• Be aware of the health impacts of exposure to hazardous chemicals, including acute and chronic effects
• Understand how particular chemicals can affect the body through poisoning, corroding, irritating or sensitising
• Identify hazardous chemicals or airborne particles. These can be dust (inhaled), liquids (absorbed through the skin into the bloodstream), vapours (inhaled), mists (which irritate eyes/skin), and gases (inhaled, or could be flammable or explosive).

Manual handling

You can reduce the risk of sprains and strains by:

• Abiding by the legal weight limits for lifting
• Asking employers to provide workers with back braces and lifting belts
• Interchanging workers through chores to reduce repetitive strain injuries
• Making workstations and seating safer
• Providing information, training, supervision and personal protective equipment where required
• Persuade and urge those with deskbound jobs to take five-minute activity breaks at their workstations or elsewhere every 40 to 50 minutes.

Managing temperature problems

While there are no regulations for workplace standards for maximum temperatures you have to ensure to inspect your workplace to monitor and evaluate heat stress areas and work with staff to make conditions more comfortable.

Some of the tips below could help:

• Install fans or air conditioning
• Insulate or shield heat sources as well as roofs and walls
• Reduce window area and heat transfer from them with reflective film or blinds
• Make sure that work vehicles are air-conditioned.

Prevent vibration injuries

Vibration is transmitted into your hands and arms when using hand held / operated tools and machinery. Excessive exposure can affect the nerves, blood vessels, muscles and joints of the hand, wrist and arm causing Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS).

It makes sense to minimise vibration for all staff:

• Invest in non-vibrating tools
• Substitute with low-vibration tools
• Use cushioning, spring grips or rubber shock absorbers, and gloves
• Install ergonomically designed seats that absorb vibration
• Retrofit engineering controls, including dampeners, insulated mountings, or sinking the machine into a pit
• Regularly maintain tools, vehicles and machinery
• Reduce the time spent by workers on a vibrating surface.
• Train staff to raise awareness of the issues and how they can prevent vibration-induced health problems.

When it comes to preventing vibration injury, it’s never too late to shake things up!