The importance of health and safety in manufacturing should never be underestimated. Employers have a legal and moral obligation to send their employeeshome in the same condition as when they arrived.

Practising good health and safety within the company brings financial benefits as costs associated with the after consequences of incidents are avoided. For example, by providing a safe work environment, fewer incidents will occur, resulting in less money being spent on covering lost hours of work, employees’ compensation, insurance fees and legal fees.

In turn, providing a safe working environment for your employees will boost their morale thus increasing productivity and efficiency, resulting in improved profit margins and lower employee turnover.

Health and safety is especially important to us at Fascia Graphics®, where we manufacture membrane keyboards, graphic overlays and screen printed labels;we have invested heavily in health and safety training, ensuring that our safety personnel are well equipped for the job. As a result we see fewer employee absences due to illness/injury and have excellent employee retention.

Steps you can take to improve health and safety within your company include:

• Stay Clutter Free – Make sure all materials are safely stored in their proper locations to avoid tripping hazards.
• Provide Adjustable Ergonomic Workstations – Chairs, work surfaces and monitor stands should all be adjustable to fit the requirements of employees.
• Don’t Block Escape Routes or Prop Open Fire Doors – Items should never be stored along an emergency exit route, and fire doors should always be shut tight to reduce the risk of fire spreading.
• Keep Machinery in Good Repair – Damaged, overloaded and ungrounded power cables pose a serious fire hazard and violate safety codes. Inspect machinery electronics regularly for fraying and exposed wires.