In this post, we’re going to look at the importance of health and safety in manufacturing. We’re going to start off by discovering where health and safety came from, then ask the importance of health and safety in manufacturing, look at the important questions we need to ask, and then finishing off by assessing the risks and the actions we need to take.
Where did health and safety come from?
We’re going to look at the health and safety risks when working within the engineering industry. Although the exact start of a health and safety system can’t be pinpointed, it was in 1833 when the Factories Act 1833 began and is the first formation and evidence of a health and safety system. When the Factories Act was brought in it was the duty of inspectors to help to prevent injuries to young children working in unsuitable conditions and to stop people being overworked.
Since 1833, health and safety legislation, committees, and acts have come along way to ensure people are safe within the workplace with less risk for any accidents. Health and Safety laws must be adhered to and can inflict fines, jail time, and closure of the business if they are not met due to it being illegal to not do so. Health and safety regulations and laws are present in every industry and are enforced across all businesses within the U.K. including conveyor and automation solution providers like L-A-C Logistics Automation.
What’s the importance of health and safety in manufacturing?
Workplace safety is important for all team members as all people should be able to work in a safe and protected atmosphere and why businesses need to understand the importance of health and safety in manufacturing. When manufacturing goods there are increased risks due to the use of raw materials and engineering equipment to carry out tasks such as welding and assembling.
Using manufacturing a conveyor system as an example, there are a lot of factors to consider in terms of health and safety when building the conveyor. Team members need to be aware of their surroundings and how much room they must manufacture that part of the conveyor. Not be stressed when dealing with tools that can make the conveyor. Use the tools and machinery appropriately to reduce any risk of injury when putting parts of the conveyor together such as the powered roller conveyor in the system. Moving the conveyor system from the manufacturing plant to the client site to ensure no heavy items are dropped on any team members.
L-A-C team members, due to the nature of their business in manufacturing conveyor systems, are dealing with heavy, sharp, large, and hard to grasp materials on a weekly basis. That’s why it’s imperative that businesses such as L-A-C take assessing risks and following health and safety rules within the workplace as a priority.
L-A-C provide conveyors and automation solutions to prevent health and safety risks from happening and you can see in their case studies how their conveyor systems have reduced the need for manual labour in high-intensity tasks moving and lifting heavy goods while increasing delivery times and value to their customers and the end-user.
What are the important questions to ask?
There are several questions you need to ask when assessing lifting and handling health and safety risks within the workplace. Below shows the questions you need to be asking within the following categories of job, load, work area, and individual. To give you more clarity on why you are asking these questions, apply it to a business you work in or an industry you operate in, for example manufacturing conveyors and conveyor systems.
Assessing risks and what actions to take
In all industries, there are risks to duties that need to be carried out. However, some places due to the nature of the business carry increased risks compared to elsewhere. In manufacturing conveyors, for example, there is an increased risk due to the handling of heavy materials, welding of sharp steel, and slip hazards. Below shows how to assess risks and what actions you need to take to avoid these hazards affecting you or the team.
For more information on health and safety laws and legislation within your industry, please visit Health and Safety Executive (HSE). L-A-C Logistics Automation always ensure they meet new and existing legislation with the aim to make the workplace a safe and enjoyable place to have a career.
About L-A-C Logistics Automation
Who we are: Founded in 1997, L-A-C Logistics Automation are a leading UK supplier who’ve been successfully supplying conveyor systems, belt conveyors, roller conveyors, automation, and robotic solutions to the UK’s blue-chip industry. Located in Bulwell, Nottingham, L-A-C. are known for their outstanding customer service, continual support, flexibility, and bespoke service. With a full in-house service team, and an engineering team who’ve worked together over 25 years, L-A-C covers all aspects of control system design, build and associated software, and ongoing support.
What we do: L-A-C has a wealth of experience supplying conveyor systems and robotic solutions to a range of industries including automotive, aerospace, food and beverage, heavy engineering, and logistics. L-A-C design, assemble, incorporate testing, and deliver with training and after-sales support for a smooth handover. With an in-house mechanical design team, project managers, and engineers, all the builds are undertaken on the five-unit 70,000 sq. ft premises.
