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I worked in print manufacturing for 6 years. As a chairman of a safety audit team and ergonomics auditor, I’ve seen my share of safety issues in a manufacturing environment. One such example is actually my own story, a point in time where I decided that if I wanted to make my company even safer that I would need to be a part of it. Most machinery, even CNC machines, printing presses, and folder glue machines have work plates that the operators often lean against to inspect parts and samples, and to fill out appropriate paper work for maintenance and paperwork for the current job run. If the user repeatedly presses against the plate over a long period of time, the injuries could be as extreme as permanent nerve damage.

Injuries from repetitive motion are the most prevalent, and generally have a lower level of awareness. This is due to the fact that major accidents are severe enough that they create a heightened level of awareness and response from administration, not to mention investigation from OSHA. However, because the repetitive injuries are incremental as far as timeline is concerned, they go unnoticed until they are problematic. I was in fact a machine operator that experienced this type of repetitive exposure that prompted managers to install a rubber gasket on all work station plates in order to prevent these types of accidents from ever happening again. If you’re the administrator or shift supervisor for a shop floor, then you’ll want to consider some easy precautions to avoid not only repetitive injuries, but major accidents. It is often found, if not always found, that major accidents are preventable.

Although it is required to offer proper eye wear such as side protective glasses when handling corrosives or machines with moving parts, don’t be frugal with this expense. In this case of high speed part turning or working with high RPM machinery, the protective eye wear may need to endure high speed impact from a piece of rogue steel or bronze, even wood. This means to look at the toughness ratings of the eye wear. Moreover, be sure to select eye wear that covers both sides of the face, trailing back to the ears. A piece of debris could easily make it past the side of the glasses and into the eyes of this is not covered. This is just in case the user is not directly facing the machinery, and may be looking off to the side. Make sure that the eye wear is rated to handle corrosive materials such as solvents and certain types of acids and chemicals such as inks. Not all eye wear is intended for general use; there are special glasses for different applications. Eye wear that is in the style of eye glasses can be risky, so as mentioned below, make sure to purchase eye wear that has the protective lip that stays tight to the skin of the face. Be sure to post signs at all work stations to wear protective eye wear where applicable.

Proper lifting technique can prevent irreversible back injuries that could result in not only high medical costs for the patient but for the company as well. This includes lost time due to the accident, and there are high rest periods for back injuries, not to mention the need for multiple surgeries in some cases. Keeping onsite training videos and manuals for proper lifting techniques is imperative. In fact, during safety audits at the company, we would pick an employee at random and conduct an evaluation of their lifting techniques. All new employees should be trained and then documented on their ability to lift properly. There should be lifting restrictions that outline when to ask for a second person for help. Just because you lift an item properly, the overwhelming weight of an item could stress the disks in the lower back. Employers should be more proactive when there are seasonal employees on staff. Make sure that these employees are also trained on proper lifting techniques, even if their period of employment is only 30 or even 90 days. These two things alone could prevent accidents from occurring. It is critical that manufacturing facilities are proactive about these safety measures.