Why there needs to be an increased focus on H&S in manufacturing

According to an HSE report, around 54,000 workers are involved in non-fatal accidents in the manufacturing sector each year. Most of the injuries they suffer are a direct result of manual handling accidents, trips, slips, and falls, contact with moving machinery, and being struck by moving objects. Between 2021 and 2022, there were, unfortunately, 22 worker deaths in manufacturing, most of which were a direct result of falls from height, being struck by moving objects, and contact with moving machinery. Furthermore, around 92,000 cases of ill-health at the workplace are reported every year, with 40% of concerns revolving around musculoskeletal disorders. Cases of anxiety, stress, and depression are also on the rise among those working in manufacturing.

Why manufacturing businesses need to start focusing more on health & safety

Before anything else, let’s bring to light some of the potential benefits of increasing health and safety measures in a manufacturing environment:

• Reduction in costs associated with illnesses, injuries, accidents, stress, or other issues caused by inadequate H&S protocols
• Lower insurance premiums, allowing businesses to redirect or invest those resources elsewhere
• Improved brand perception, reputation, and consumer trust
• Higher morale and productivity in the workplace

There’s a lot manufacturing, warehousing, supply chain, and logistics businesses can do to improve their health and safety standards, starting with:

More data collection

One of the first steps you can take to improve occupational H&S is to better understand the unique risks present in your workplace. Specific data collection practices such as electronic logs and IoT (Internet of Things) sensors sending data straight to your device, can offer a lot of insights on where or how accidents occur, and how to mitigate those risks. There are now apps and digital platforms available that feed safety data into AI (artificial intelligence) algorithms, where the program might consider thousands to millions of scenarios in the blink of an eye, thus, highlighting the most effective measures to take in terms of health and safety.

Improve communication

Interestingly, one of the biggest barriers to safety in manufacturing and logistics is communication. After all, logistics networks can be complex systems, so it can be difficult to understand the hazards as they emerge. However, again, there are systems and apps that exist to consolidate communications and reports into a single platform where everyone can stay up to date and stay on the same page regarding the latest safety policies or potential risks, for example.

Reviewing safety measures on a regular basis

Implementing the right safety controls isn’t enough. Manufacturing and supply chain businesses should always review their policies on a regular basis – at least every year if not bi-annually or every quarter. With growing facilities and rising demand, safety considerations may shift at the drop of a hat, which means reviewing data regularly can highlight specific trends that can help you make better decisions around H&S. HS Manager is an easy-to-use app that makes health and safety inspections simple. Schedule inspections digitally to save time, replace paper forms and improve communication, boost performance and productivity, and ultimately, carry out H&S inspections a lot faster and more efficiently. Try it now absolutely FREE for 30 days. https://www.thehsmanager.co.uk/free-trial/ For more information visit; www.thehsmanager.co.uk Email enquiries@thehsmanager.co.uk  Or call 03450 17 99 44