One of the most important components in industrial production is safety. It is not only crucial for high productivity, but also in keeping your staff safe, healthy, and happy. However, industrial establishments have unique challenges, which make it difficult to operate safely. For example, more than 22-million workers are exposed to excessive noise levels in the US every year.

The effect is increased levels of workplace risks that can compromise production, resulting in delayed shipping schedules, and poor customer satisfaction. You are also likely to suffer from severe penalties for failing to follow Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) rules for workplace safety in the United States. 

To make your facility safe, the first step is to identify the challenges, and we will highlight the main ones in this post. Keep reading to also learn about the best methods of addressing them.

What is Industrial Safety?

Industrial safety is the management of all operations and events to protect both employees and assets through the minimization of accidents, risks, and hazards. In the US, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is the regulatory body dedicated to enforcing industrial safety rules and regulations. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the occupational safety rules and follow them closely to identify updates and remain compliant in all operations.  

Industrial safety covers a wide array of areas and issues that touch on both the safety of personnel and the integrity of equipment, such as motors and material handling machines, used in manufacturing. Here are some of these areas:

• Occupational safety
• Process and production safety
• Material safety
• Workplace safety
• Electrical safety
• Environmental safety
• Building and structural safety

Common Challenges to Industrial Safety

One of the main challenges of industrial safety is the ever-changing health and occupation laws. Although it is true that the laws are changed with the intention of making the workplace better, investors find it challenging to follow regular new guidelines because some require structural changes, buying new safety equipment, and crafting new policies. Other challenges include:

Poor Employee Engagement

Staff engagement is not only a safety issue but a workplace problem. The problem is so all-inclusive that it can result in detrimental implications on your industrial facility's safety culture. When employees are poorly connected to their jobs and leaders, they can easily lose concentration, resulting in accidents that could have otherwise been avoided.

Some of the issues of concern for most employees include poor communication, a toxic workplace, unclear career growth, and poor remuneration. To address this challenge, here are some expert tips to consider:

• Improve communication between employees and leaders. Consider providing your staff with a free platform for making suggestions about their workplace. Adding channels for your staff to communicate anonymously can make it easy to raise concerns on issues about their areas of work, including safety.
• Hold forums from different departments to discuss the efforts by the company on safety. These forums would also be excellent opportunities to grow a strong organizational culture and sense of community.

Ergonomic Hazards

Notably, most industrial production activities call for repetitive motions, which rarely allow for variations. Take the example of a forklift driver working on a six-hour shift. The bulk of the task will entail repeating the same motion for the entire shift, which can result in workplace injuries. Other tasks requiring repetitive tasks include working on the computer keyboard, product packaging, and material handling equipment.

One of the reasons why ergonomic hazards are a serious challenge to industrial safety is that there is very little that can be done to reduce bending, twisting, stooping, or lifting for some tasks. To reduce the problem, you should consider adopting regular breaks and using protective gear, such as anti-fatigue mats and gloves.

Progressive Safety Training

One of the crucial components of a successful industrial safety program is staff training, but it is never easy. The process of training staff requires adequate preparation; including using experts to ensure that all concepts of safety, from equipment maintenance to automation, are articulated well. For a business facing cash flow challenges, one of the areas likely to suffer budget cuts is training for industrial safety.

For organizations with many workers spread in different areas, running a training program can become more challenging because you might be required to bring them together. Take the example of a company with branches in Michigan, Miami and Texas. Do you bring the workers together for industrial safety training or train them separately?

To address this challenge, it is advisable to consider training as a method of enriching your company for success. Sure, it involves some costs, but this is only a fraction of the losses that can result from safety disasters. To keep the cost low, you might want to consider using online training programs and making it part of your HR development program. With modern digital training platforms, your staff can learn and build new skills in any area, from management to the application of AI in industrial automation or other considerations. You might also want to partner with training institutions to develop a full program for the employees, train them, and test their progress.

Conclusion

The industrial safety challenges we have highlighted in this post are some of the most common, but the list can be longer. The good thing is that you can overcome the challenges by following the solutions that we have highlighted under each of them. Make sure to regularly review the selected industrial safety solutions and maintain your facility in top condition to ensure the objectives are being achieved. Making the workplace safe is the first step to growing your business to the next level.