Introduction
Industrial safety is the practice of protecting employees from injury or death while they’re on the job. It’s important because it helps prevent accidents and injuries, which can cause long-term health problems for workers. In addition to saving lives, industrial safety also saves you money: according to OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration), workplace accidents cost employers $250 billion per year!
But what does “industrial” mean? Well…it depends on who you ask! Some people think that industrial refers only to factories and manufacturing facilities; others include hospitals and offices as well–any place where people work could be considered an “industrial” setting if it has machinery or heavy equipment involved in its operation. But whatever type of workplace you operate in–from construction sites to grocery stores–you should take steps toward implementing effective safety measures so that everyone stays safe at all times!
Common Hazards in the Workplace
Slips, trips and falls are the most common causes of injuries in the workplace. They can happen when you’re walking across a slippery floor or when you slip on something that’s been left on the ground.
Common hazards include:
- Hazardous chemicals – These can be found in paint shops, chemical plants and laboratories. They can cause burns, skin irritation and damage to your eyesight if they come into contact with them (for example if someone spits on their hand then touches something). You should always wear protective clothing when working with these substances so that no part of your body comes into contact with them.
- Machinery and equipment – This includes things like power tools such as drills or saws which may have sharp edges that could cut through clothing; vehicles such as forklifts which have moving parts that could cause injury if they hit someone; cranes used for lifting heavy loads off trucks onto shelves etc.; hoists used to lift workers up off floors when doing maintenance work inside buildings
Risk Assessment
Risk assessment is the process of identifying and evaluating risks. It involves collecting information about your workplace, identifying hazards, assessing their severity and likelihood of occurring and taking appropriate measures to control or eliminate them.
Risk assessments should be carried out regularly in order to ensure that they remain up-to-date. The frequency depends on how rapidly conditions change at your workplace (for example if you regularly introduce new machinery) as well as how often workers are exposed to potentially hazardous situations (for example if they work with chemicals).
A good risk assessment should include:
Safety Policies and Procedures
Safety policies and procedures are the foundation of your safety program. They’re what your employees will refer to when they need direction on how to do their jobs safely, and they can help you create a culture of safety in your workplace.
A good policy should be clear and concise, with no room for interpretation or confusion about what’s expected from each employee. It should also be easy for everyone in the organization–from management down through frontline workers–to understand its meaning without needing an extensive explanation from someone else (or even having them read it).
Safety policies should include:
- A statement about why safety is important at your company/organization/business unit; this helps set the tone for all other aspects of your program by showing that you take worker protection seriously enough to make it one of your top priorities as an employer.
- A description of who’s responsible for managing safety programs within each department or area (for example, if there are multiple departments within one facility but only one person has been assigned responsibility over all three areas combined). This ensures accountability across groups so no one gets left out while also providing guidance on how best practices should be implemented across different areas within larger facilities like manufacturing plants where multiple divisions may exist under separate roofs but still operate under similar conditions due to shared resources such as electricity supply lines running through common corridors between buildings…
Personal Protective Equipment
- Eye and face protection: safety glasses, goggles, and face shields are essential for protecting your eyes from flying debris and dust.
- Head protection: hard hats are required in most industrial environments, but they’re not just for falling objects–they also protect against electrical shock by absorbing some of the energy when you come into contact with live wires or other potentially dangerous equipment.
- Hearing protection: earplugs or earmuffs should be worn whenever there’s even a small chance of exposure to loud noises (e.g., jackhammers).
- Respiratory protection: depending on what kind of work you do, this could mean anything from dust masks to full-face respirators like those worn by firefighters or hazmat teams
Workplace Safety Training
Safety awareness training is a must for all employees. It’s important to teach your workers about the hazards they may encounter on the job, as well as how to avoid them and respond if something goes wrong.
Emergency response training teaches employees what to do in case of an emergency, such as an electrical shock or chemical spill. This can include procedures like calling 911, shutting off equipment and evacuating workers from the area where danger exists.
Hazard communication training helps employees understand what chemicals are used at your facility so they know how best to handle those chemicals safely when handling them at work or home after hours (or while wearing gloves).
Safety Audits
Safety audits are a way to identify hazards and assess the risk they pose. They’re also used to track the effectiveness of your safety program.
Audits can be performed by anyone who has been trained in the proper procedures, but they should be conducted by someone with experience in conducting them. Here’s how you can conduct your own audit:
- Identify all potential hazards in your workplace, including chemical spills and electrical shocks.
- Conduct a walkthrough of each area where these hazards may exist–including storage rooms, machinery areas and offices–and note any potential issues that need attention or correction on an inspection checklist (see below).
- Review existing policies and procedures related to safety issues such as equipment maintenance; emergency response plans; fire prevention measures; hazardous materials handling protocols etc., paying special attention to areas where there might be gaps between policy statements and actual practices observed during your walkthroughs
Emergency Preparedness
As an industrial safety professional, you are responsible for creating and maintaining an emergency plan that ensures the safety of your employees. This includes developing a response team and conducting regular drills in case of emergencies.
For example, if there was a fire at one of your facilities, how would you handle it? Do all employees know what to do in such situations? What about their families who may be visiting them on site? Are they aware of evacuation procedures or where to go in case of an emergency? These are just some questions that need to be answered before any kind of disaster strikes so that everyone knows what steps need taking at any given time.
Creating an effective emergency plan requires collaboration between management and staff members as well as outside consultants who specialize in this type of process (such as fire extinguisher companies). Once all parties have agreed upon what should go into such plans–and how often they should be updated–it’s important for everyone involved with implementing them follow through accordingly by completing tasks such as:
- Conducting walkthroughs every six months with key personnel so everyone understands their role within each department;
- Assigning roles based on skill level rather than seniority when possible;
Occupational Health and Wellness
- Creating a healthy work environment.
- Promoting physical activity.
- Mental health resources, including counseling and employee assistance programs (EAPs).
Conclusion
Safe workplaces are important, and it’s up to you as an employee to make sure that your workplace is safe. If you see something that could be improved or if there are any safety issues, don’t hesitate to speak up! You can also help out by making sure that everyone around you is following all of the rules and regulations set in place by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration).
If you have any questions about industrial safety or compliance with OSHA regulations, feel free to contact us at [info@middleeastosha.com]