{"id":1685,"date":"2018-10-16T07:43:00","date_gmt":"2018-10-16T07:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/upgifs.com\/blog\/?p=1685"},"modified":"2018-10-16T07:43:00","modified_gmt":"2018-10-16T07:43:00","slug":"7-machine-safety-tips-to-keep-the-workplace-injury-free","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/upgifs.com\/blog\/1685\/7-machine-safety-tips-to-keep-the-workplace-injury-free\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Machine Safety Tips to Keep the Workplace Injury Free"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Every year, over 800 people are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osha.gov\/SLTC\/etools\/machineguarding\/index.html\">killed by heavy machinery<\/a> in the US alone.<\/p>\n<p>Even in a modern workplace, heavy machinery can be very dangerous if people aren&#8217;t careful. Unless you want to be one of the 18.000 people seriously injured each year, you need to be aware of your machine safety procedures.<\/p>\n<p>Don&#8217;t worry, we have you covered. Read on for our 7 machine safety tips that can help keep your workplace injury free.<\/p>\n<h2>1. Use Machine Guards<\/h2>\n<p>It is always important to have proper machine guarding in place that meets <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osha.gov\/SLTC\/machineguarding\/standards.html\">OSHA standards<\/a>. Machine guards protect workers from potential dangers like flying chips and rotating parts.<\/p>\n<p>Guards you can use range from barrier guards, two-handed operating devices to light curtains. All the above will act to protect your employees from heavy machinery dangers.<\/p>\n<p>By having adequate, government standard guarding in place, you can help prevent injuries including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Amputations<\/li>\n<li>Lacerations<\/li>\n<li>Crushing<\/li>\n<li>Abrasions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Without this in place, many of these injuries will severe. Some can be life-changing and some can even be fatal.<\/p>\n<h2>2. Never Remove Machine Guards<\/h2>\n<p>The only time it is safe to remove barriers and <a href=\"https:\/\/safetyskills.com\/machine-guarding\">machine guarding<\/a> is when you are taking the machine out of service for maintenance. Any other time and your employees will be at risk.<\/p>\n<p>Only authorized staff who are well trained should remove them. It is also a must that workers report any damage they notice to guard systems. The machinery should not continue in use until the guard is looked at or replaced.<\/p>\n<p>Accidents can happen when workers think something will only take a second and go around the guard system. Or when they reach around a guard to fix a jam. It is important to provide full health and safety training to avoid incidents like these.<\/p>\n<h2>3. Use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)<\/h2>\n<p>When required, workers must use personal protective equipment (PPE). The types of common safety equipment include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Safety glasses<\/li>\n<li>Gloves<\/li>\n<li>Closed-toe shoes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It&#8217;s recommended that workers use full wrap goggles as this gives the best protection. Debris cannot get through the side as it could with normal glasses.<\/p>\n<p>You want gloves to fit well but not be too tight. You can&#8217;t have loose gloves as they pose a risk of getting caught in machinery.<\/p>\n<p>For workers who use cutting equipment or sharp edges, cut-resistant gloves are a must. While they do no completely prevent injury, they can reduce the chance.<\/p>\n<p>Proper footwear protects feet from dropped or falling objects. Proper soles with slip-resistance make accidents on wet or slippery floors less likely.<\/p>\n<h2>4. Awareness of Surroundings<\/h2>\n<p>It is important for all employees to know what other equipment or machinery is nearby. Even if they&#8217;re not using it.<\/p>\n<p>Workers also shouldn&#8217;t operate machinery under the influence of alcohol. Nor should they operate if they are on any medication that impairs reactions and clarity.<\/p>\n<p>While heavy machinery is in use, workers should not interfere with the machine or the operator. Distracting an operator can lead to an accident in no time.<\/p>\n<p>If the workplace is using forklifts, clear markings must be visible for workers. A lift operator may not see a worker so it is important to avoid those marked paths.<\/p>\n<p>The use of headphones while walking and working should also pose a risk. They can block the ability for the person to hear any equipment warnings.<\/p>\n<h2>5. Follow Maintenance Schedules<\/h2>\n<p>A workplace will have maintenance schedules for a reason. It ensures equipment and machinery keep operating at peak performance.<\/p>\n<p>If machinery is not maintained on time, it can break down and become a risk. It could overheat due to not enough lubrication. Or it could jam up because of a broken drive gear or belt.<\/p>\n<p>If filtration equipment is in use, you must inspect change the filters on a regular basis. If left, the filters will not perform as they should. This could then lead to potential exposure for workers and the environment.<\/p>\n<p>It is also important to make sure any sharp blades on cutting machinery are sharp. If a blade dulls over time and is not addressed, it is more like to snag and chip.<\/p>\n<h2>6. Training<\/h2>\n<p>You don&#8217;t need to go as far as becoming a <a href=\"https:\/\/upgifs.com\/blog\/287\/how-to-become-a-health-and-safety-engineer\/\">health and safety engineer<\/a>, but training is very important.<\/p>\n<p>You should never operate machinery that you have not had training on. Each machine will have its own procedures and method of working it. You should receive a tutorial from someone who is already trained in the machinery. The trainer should assess the trainee&#8217;s skills. If there is a way to make operations safer and easier, they should recommend this.<\/p>\n<p>If you try to operate a machine without training, you will be putting yourself at risk. You will also be endangering those around you. This can cause workplace injuries and fatalities.<\/p>\n<p>As we have covered above, heavy machinery can cause a lot of damage. You need to know what you are doing and all the safety procedures before you can begin operating one.<\/p>\n<h2>7. Organization<\/h2>\n<p>It is important to track and reinforce safety measures. Use staff meetings, supervision, and educational refresher courses. Reward systems for workers who abide by the safety standards are useful too.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s important to not take shortcuts. Accidents occur when a worker skips a step to get the job done faster. Make sure all instructions and procedures are clear and well organized. This will help prevent any undue accidents.<\/p>\n<p>Make sure the workplace is neat and tidy. A messy workplace can be a health and safety nightmare. Make sure the layout has adequate markings and is free of obstructions. To address spills fast, ensure there are adequate cleaning stations.<\/p>\n<h2>Proper Machine Safety<\/h2>\n<p>If you follow our machine safety tips, then your factory machinery will be a much safer place.<\/p>\n<p>Heavy factory machinery will always be dangerous. But by receiving proper training and treating it with the right amount of respect, your workplace should stay accident-free.<\/p>\n<p>If you found this article useful, why not check out <a href=\"https:\/\/upgifs.com\/blog\/category\/business-posts\/\">some of our others<\/a>? We have useful articles on a range of topics to help you out in almost any situation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If your business requires heavy factory machinery, safety is a top priority. Here are some machine safety tips that will help keep the workplace accident free.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1686,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[21],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/upgifs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1685"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/upgifs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/upgifs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upgifs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upgifs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1685"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/upgifs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1685\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1687,"href":"https:\/\/upgifs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1685\/revisions\/1687"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upgifs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/upgifs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upgifs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upgifs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}