Dianne Pajo
In industrial plants and warehouses, safety should always be the priority. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Keep your industrial workplace safe by avoiding these common safety mistakes.
Neglecting Maintenance
One of the most common reasons for fires and other dangerous accidents in industrial workplaces is faulty machinery, equipment, or tools. When evaluating how a fire or accident occurred, the culprit is often an overlooked or neglected electrical problem or equipment malfunction.
For every workplace with heavy equipment and machinery, diligent maintenance is crucial to the safety of the employees and the workplace. You should schedule regular inspections and care in advance to not compromise productivity.
Rushing Through Training
Another common safety mistake to avoid in industrial workplaces is a lack of effort and time spent on safety training and education. For too many, safety training is simply going through the motions of teaching procedures before checking a few boxes that say the training was completed.
Many workplaces want to get workers on the floor as soon as possible and rush through training before a worker can truly understand the why and how of safety precautions and procedures. Practical safety training requires time and effort—and while it may mean a short-term compromise of productivity, the long-term benefits of a safer workplace are unquestioned.
Skipping Safety Drills
Every workplace, whether an industrial chemical plant or office building, legally must undergo specific safety exercises such as fire drills. For industrial settings with other dangers like chemical spills or heavy machinery, management has even more drills they have to run—but too often, they do them haphazardly or skip them altogether.
Conducting routine fire drills is one of the most critical fire safety rules for industrial workplaces, so you should do it regularly and with diligence. Injuries in industrial workplaces become a higher risk when workers are unsure of evacuation plans or emergency procedures.
Inadequately Supplying PPE
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is a requirement for many industrial workplaces because it helps keep workers safe. The nature of the workplace determines what PPE each worker needs—from steel-toe boots to hearing protection—but it’s an area that management commonly neglects.
It’s not uncommon for workers in industrial workplaces to wear PPE deemed too old or worn out to offer the protective qualities the workers need. Investing in quality PPE and maintenance is a legal requirement and a wise investment for industrial workplaces to produce happier and more productive workers who feel safe on the job.
