Health and safety in industrial environments is important. In heavy industry where people can be seriously injured at work, health and safety is accepted, and even embraced, as the ‘way to do business’. Looking at other industries, health and safety is often-times not treated with the same importance. Why is that? Well, for one workplace injuries are unlikely to occur in ‘safer’ work environments, and if they do, they’re likely to be less severe. After all, working in a heavy industrial fabrication shop presents much greater risks than working in an office building.
Hazards that may be present significant risks in industrial environments may include:
Overhead and mobile cranes
Various machinery requiring guarding and specialized safeguarding devices
Hazardous energies requiring lockout processes
Confined spaces
Airborne contaminants requiring specialized ventilation or respiratory protection
Welding or hot work
These industrial safety hazards need to be assessed through the hazard assessment process to determine risks and control methods to protect workers. The organization’s health and safety program must address these hazards, and policies and safe work procedures developed to protect workers. Because of the seriousness that these hazards present, some organizations have developed life saving rules. These are rules that must be always be respected, be known by all that work there, and are never to be compromised. There are many other controls that need to be implemented to protect workers including health and safety training, and regular refresher training.
Wilco Health and Safety is a Calgary health and safety company. We’ve worked in many industries including heavy industry and are experienced in industrial safety.
Contact us today to discuss your health and safety needs.