Is Your Plant Safe? The Most Common (and Preventable) Causes of Workplace Accidents

Making sure your plant is safe and operating properly is one of the most important parts of your job. Plant operations can be very dangerous, especially if caution isn’t taken and there’s not a sound safety system in place. Typically, there is a lot of chaos in manufacturing and process plants. There are many workers and a lot of equipment that can malfunction and cause a serious emergency or issue.

Learn more about common workplace accidents that occur often and how you can prevent them.

Common Workplace Accidents

Lifting

Heavy lifting is definitely a concern at many plants. Employees are prone to sprain, strain or tear a muscle while lifting an object that is too heavy to lift on their own. Make sure employees are trained to lift objects properly and to know what objects are too heavy for them to lift on their own.

Fatigue

If employees don’t take breaks after completely very strenuous activities, it’s common for them to experience severe fatigue which can lead to even more serious accidents. Make sure there is an adequate number of employees assigned to one specific job in order to avoid this issue, and

Hazardous

Many plants contain hazardous materials that need to be transported and handled. A common cause of an accident in the workplace is if these hazardous materials are handled improperly or a worker is not wearing the appropriate protective equipment. Make sure safety data sheets are provided, as well as the appropriate protective attire.

Workplace Safety Improvements

Communications

Without proper communication in regards to an emergency occurring in the plant, personnel and assets may be at risk and end up being subject to a serious incident. Your employees and contractors are your most important assets and it’s crucial that they’re safe in the case of an emergency. One way to get the word out is by setting up an emergency notification system that accomplishes this quickly and reliably.

Control Global’s ION Emergency Notification produces audio alerts, visual strobes and verbal instruction with the action that should be taken. “The end result is better emergency management and resource deployment, shelter-in-place or evacuation guidance, organized coordination with internal and external teams and resources, and status updates throughout the duration of an incident.”

Wireless Hazardous Material Tracking

Handling hazardous materials in plants poses its own set of risk, such as product tampering, contamination, spills, and explosions that can result in damage. To combat these emergencies, Control Global’s Ion Hazardous Material Tracking Solution “provides complete asset visibility for all hazardous containers as they move throughout a facility or between facilities.”

The Ion Hazardous Material Tracking Solution also enables:

• Views on all HazMat containers exposing regulatory compliance status
• Use photos and drawings of a facility to easily locate specific HazMat containers immediately
• Maintain scheduled maintenance
• Easily add new wireless applications under a single infrastructure

CPV Manufacturing is a leading manufacturer of valves and fittings used in manufacturing and process plants. You can browse our valves and fittings online or contact us directly for more information.