How to Improve Manufacturing Safety & Reduce Workplace Injuries

In the United States, 12 million people work in the manufacturing industry to deliver products and services that account for $2.3 trillion in GDP. The manufacturing industry spans a broad variety of sectors including material-handling, chemical production, food and beverage production, and beyond. 

Regardless of sector, however, the nature of manufacturing can be dangerous for workers. In the manufacturing industry, the risk of injury is high—heavy machinery, hazardous chemicals, and sharp edges can cause serious injuries and fatalities—and these are just a few of the potential hazards that manufacturing workers encounter at the worksite. 

In this guide, we’ll break down the most common manufacturing safety hazards, OSHA safety standards, and tips for improving workplace safety—including how Samsara Connected Workflows can help you keep workplaces safe and protect employees.

Why is manufacturing safety important?

While occupational injuries exist in any industry, operational and environmental safety risks make manufacturing especially dangerous. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, manufacturing workers were injured at a rate of 3.1 per 100 full-time workers in 2020. This means more than 370,000 manufacturing workers were injured on the job just in 2020.

Failure to keep workers safe can also result in expensive workers compensation premiums and payments. In 2021 alone, workers compensation insurance premiums added up to more than $42 million. In addition to lawsuits and a decrease in productivity, workplace injury can end up being extremely costly for your business.  

By investing in preventative manufacturing safety, you can keep your employees safe and protect your bottom line.

What safety standards does OSHA require to minimize potential hazards in the manufacturing industry?

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is a government agency focused on minimizing workplace injuries and ensuring employee safety. OSHA has created specific safety standards to help ensure manufacturing worker safety. Failure to meet these safety standards may not only cause safety concerns, but may also lead to fines and penalties. Some manufacturing-related OSHA standards include:

• Control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout): Some machines are powered by power sources such as steam, electricity, or chemicals. If left unattended, these machines can lead to serious safety hazards and occupational injuries. One way to address safety issues posed by hazardous energy is a clear lockout/tagout (LOTO) process, which is a safety procedure that locks a machine as “off” and adds a tag of the person’s name who has the key to the lock. 

• General requirements for all machines: Operating heavy machinery such as presses, power saws, jointers, and milling machines can cause flying chips, sparks, and rotating parts. You can protect your employees by machine guarding, adding physical barriers and safety devices to equipment and workspaces.

• Hazard communication: To ensure safe handling of hazardous chemicals in a manufacturing facility, you must include information about the chemical in the form of container labeling, data sheets, and safety training that is distributed to employees.

• Process safety management of highly hazardous chemicals: Hazardous chemicals may cause uncontrolled release of toxic, reactive, flammable, or explosive chemicals. Manufacturing companies must ensure that the use, storage, and handling of these chemicals are in compliance and managed by trained workers.

• Respirator protection: Manufacturing workers may be exposed to airborne hazards such as smoke, gas, aerosol, and particulate matter. To protect against fatal exposure, make sure workers are wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and safety equipment, such as air purifiers, and that atmosphere-supplying respirators are in working condition.

How can digital forms improve manufacturing safety?

The size of your manufacturing facility and scale of your operations may make it difficult to ensure manufacturing safety. Heavy machinery, hazardous chemicals, and worksite-related risks may endanger worker safety at any moment. Moreover, complex safety protocols may be difficult to follow for employees.

To protect employees, forms such as safety checklists are often used to ensure general safety and avoid OSHA violations, enabling organizations to minimize injuries and reduce costs. Digital forms solutions like Samsara Connected Workflows are easy for workers to use, while also enhancing data accuracy and operational efficiency—enabling organizations to improve manufacturing safety and reduce workplace injuries. Using a digital forms solution, organizations can digitize mission-critical forms, transforming the way they collect, manage, and analyze operational data. Some benefits of digital forms include:

• Digitize paperwork: Easily digitize paper-based forms for any site operation, enabling workers to complete them accurately and on the go. 

• Resolve issues faster: Reduce manual work with pre-populated data from your assets, proactive alerting, and collaborative issue resolution. 

• Consolidate data: Consolidate operations data in one unified platform and unlock insights to proactively prevent accidents. 

If you’re curious about how Samsara can help improve manufacturing safety, reach out for a free demo or trial today.