Employee safety is a serious concern in businesses where machines are used in production processes. Businesses like shipping, construction, and manufacturing of goods require workers to use heavy machines and equipment that can injure them badly. Every day, many instances are reported in the news regarding deadly incidents happening with workers while using machines at workplaces, imposing serious threats to their lives. Businesses often avoid installing proper safety tools and create a safe environment for workers to decrease costs, further elevating the deadliness of machine-related injuries. In the absence of immediate remedial actions, these injuries can be the primary reason for losing lives.
Machine injuries are categorized into multiple categories, from minor ones to major ones; workers can face minor cuts and bruises, fractures, burns, and other deadly consequences of machine-related accidents. It is vital to promote employee wellness and maintain a safe environment for all types of workers in workplaces, especially in factories and construction sites. So, in this post, we will discuss the most common machine-related injuries and how you can prevent them from happening in your workplace.
Most Common Machine-Related Injuries At A Workplace
Machine-related injuries are dangerous and can lead to serious life-threatening consequences for workers. Proper knowledge of the most common machine-related injuries at a workplace is recommended to learn their quick remedial actions. In this section, we will discuss the most common machine-related injuries.
1. Crushing Injuries
Crushing injuries are among the most common in workplaces where heavy machines, such as presses, lifting machines, and conveyors, are installed. They happen when a body part gets stuck between two machinery objects during production or other business processes. Workers’ bodies get crushed in this injury, which leads to permanent loss of body parts.
2. Amputations
Amputations are related to losing hands, arms, fingers, or other body parts due to being caught in machinery. When a machine is rotating and moving fast during a business process, and mistakenly, the worker’s body comes in between, it results in the permanent loss of that body part.
3. Burns
As the name suggests, it occurs when workers make direct contact with hot surfaces. It is a common injury in many workplaces where hot articles are used, steamed processes are done for production, and harmful chemicals are used. This machine injury is easily avoidable with proper care and creating a safe environment for the workers. Equipping workers with safety tools, providing fireproof dresses, and ensuring remedial medicines are always available at the workspace for quick action is necessary.
4. Cuts and Lacerations
Cuts and lacerations can cause minor to serious injuries; this injury occurs when an employee comes into contact with sharp edges of machines, such as blades, which can cause cuts or lacerations. It is essential to address them quickly to stop bleeding and install smart machines that analyze objects before cutting them.
5. Electrical Injuries
Electric shocks are the deadliest. They can take a worker’s life in seconds, and without proper safety measures, it is hazardous for them to work in such environments. The common causes of electric injuries are loose wire fittings, faulty components, and using machines with wet bodies.
6. Hearing Loss
Overexposure to loud machine voices for a prolonged period can cause hearing loss. This is more common in factories where large machines are used for production and continuous production lots are handled by the same employee team.
7. Falls
It is common in construction industries, where workers must step on high-height objects to perform their work; a minor accident or mishap can become an enormous fatality if they fall. To ensure worker safety, the surface must be checked and ensured not to be slippery. Employees shall wear helmets, puffy costumes, and other necessary things to minimize the effect of falls.
8. Other Types Of Injuries
Apart from the injuries mentioned above, these are some other common machine injuries that occur in workplaces:
- Struck-by injuries
- Sprains and strains
- Overexertion injuries
How To Prevent Machine-Related Injuries At A Workplace?
Machine-related injuries can pose serious threats to workers’ lives, so it is important to take precautions and necessary actions to prevent them. Follow these practical and easy-to-implement tips to prevent machine-related injuries at your workplace.
1. Install Smart Sensors
Tech advancement is at its peak. New technologies are coming every day, and old ones are getting better with the latest updates. Nowadays, smart sensors are available to prevent injuries caused by contacting machines. However, smart sensors are costly, and it is hard for small enterprises to afford them. They can take second-hand ones or get them from government bodies and NGOs working to create a safe environment for employees.
2. Personal Protective Equipment
Another method of ensuring employee safety is equipping them with safety tools such as cut-resistant gloves, glasses, shock-proof dresses, and more. These tools reduce the chances of machine injuries, or if they occur, they significantly control the adverse outcomes by working as a protective layer.
3. Regular Training Sessions
Regular training sessions are required to train workers to use machines properly and what quick actions need to be taken in case of machine injuries. Production machines are complex; any mistake can interrupt their functioning and cause a big accident. Businesses shall hire a team of professionals who are well-experienced in handling such machines and let them teach their workers how to use machines installed in their workplace.
Conclusion
Workers are humans, it is important to treat them wisely and take care of their safety in the workplace. Employee welfare is a serious concern and promoted by governments by imposing strict laws on businesses, such as minimum wage rate, maximum work hours, bonus rates for extra hours, safety protocols to be followed by all organizations, and more. Workers also require to educate themselves about their rights and complain on related forums for quick and reliable resolutions against their employers. We hope you like reading this post on the most common machine-related injuries and learn ways to prevent them. Please share this post with others and help us raise awareness on this serious issue.
