Achieve maximum safety ROI from your capital investment

Following welcome signs of growth in U.S. manufacturing, the U.S. Department of Labor recently announced a shift in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s operational priorities to address worker safety concerns. The agency’s new regional office in Birmingham, Alabama, will oversee safety compliance in six states and the Florida Panhandle, an area that is seeing particularly rapid growth in manufacturing jobs. Food processing, construction, heavy industry, chemical processing.

These are often dangerous jobs, so now more than ever, companies need to put in place a full range of safety features to protect workers, mitigate risks, and dispel the perception that manufacturing is a dangerous job to help recruit and retain skilled workers.

Despite the need to prioritize safety, some manufacturers fail to fully utilize key safety features in common industrial equipment due to a lack of awareness or prioritization of safety. When the primary goal is to keep equipment running to meet production targets, the status quo takes precedence and human health is often compromised.

“If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it” is a dangerous mindset when it comes to safety. If your operations have been running smoothly without it up until now, it can be hard to justify investing the time to change standard operating procedures (SOPs) or implement new features.

Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent it. all Safety Risks. Accidents can happen when you least expect it. But risk mitigation helps you proactively identify potential risks and put plans in place to prevent accidents. When you’re dealing with expensive large industrial equipment, there’s no reason not to get the most out of your investment by leveraging every feature that can keep the equipment, and more importantly, the equipment operators, safe.

Now is a great time to consider six strategies for getting the most out of your equipment’s safety features.

1. Conduct equipment inventory audits. If you don’t know that a safety feature is there, you can’t use it. Start by taking an inventory of all the equipment throughout your facility and conducting an audit of the safety features that each piece of equipment has. Know what’s being used, and if it’s being used properly or functioning to its full potential. Equipment planning to leverage safety features on all assets. We work closely with equipment manufacturers to fully understand the capabilities of the safety components included, ensuring you get the most out of your investment.
2. Check the lights. If you’re still using traditional HID lighting, you may be posing a safety risk. Dirty electricity can seriously damage your lighting This manifests as frequent flickers and surges when heavy equipment is cycled on and off. This can result in unexpected lighting failures, leaving critical areas suddenly in darkness and increasing the risk of tripping, falling and unintentional contact with fixed objects and machinery. Not to mention, HID’s dingy orange light distorts colors and requires frequent maintenance, raising safety concerns. Upgrading to bright, modern lighting, such as industrial LED fixtures, can help reduce the risk of accidents. Up to 60 percent. They also offer much better resistance to dirty power and greatly reduce the risks associated with maintenance and working at height.
3. Please connect. detection Detecting out-of-spec equipment operation before an incident occurs can greatly improve safety, and the latest Industrial IoT (IIoT) technology allows facilities to leverage programmable logic controller (PLC) integration to monitor for issues and predict maintenance needs. Many systems can now be integrated into the PLC platform, collecting data on equipment usage and safety incidents to identify patterns and areas for improvement. This integration is ideal for LED lighting.It works with a variety of systems, including HVAC, ventilation, air quality monitoring systems and large industrial machinery, to enable site managers to monitor for anomalies or maintenance needs and receive alerts and notifications before a risk arises. It also provides predictive analytics to help spot potential safety hazards before they occur.
4. Don’t neglect preventative maintenance. Unplanned shutdowns and major equipment repairs are high-risk situations, especially when machines are still functioning despite broken safety devices. Broken or missing guards, shields and other accident prevention features are often ignored. Conduct regular inspections of all equipment, prioritizing critical machine parts such as engines, emergency stop devices and other safety features to prevent premature failures and accidents.The financial and human costs far outweigh the cost of taking the time to inspect and repair it in advance.
5. Can you see me? Most equipment has safety stickers, signs and color-coded labels to warn operators of risks and ensure proper operating procedures. But when they’re covered in dirt or oil, they can’t be seen clearly. Needless to say, if you can’t see it, you can’t see it. Heavy finesAs part of your PM procedures, make sure these placards are easy to see, read, andLet your audience learn.
6. Have an emergency plan in place. Most facilities have emergency and evacuation plans, but they don’t fully utilize the capabilities of their facility equipment to enhance safety. For example, in the event of a power outage, LED lighting, which consumes less power, is much more compatible with battery backup power sources, meaning LED lighting can stay on for longer and brighter than traditional lighting with the same power source.

The LED lights can also be programmed to: Lighting the way to safety Keeps workers away from dangerous situations. When integrated with an air quality monitoring system, this system can provide dynamic lighting: monitoring systems that detect hazards in the air will turn off the lights, while monitoring systems that don’t detect contamination will turn on the lights, keeping workers away from dangerous areas.

Employee safety should always be a top priority for every company, and while most manufacturers invest heavily in safety plans, special equipment, and protocols, the truth is, the best investments may already be made. Simply taking full advantage of the capabilities of common manufacturing equipment can significantly reduce the risk of accidents and make your facility a safer, more efficient, and more attractive place to work.