4 Machine Safety Tips to Prevent Injuries in Packaging Workshop
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Safety is the Fundamental Concern of Packaging Workplace
People are not like machines that can be fixed soon after some maintenance and replacement against downtime or faults. Creating a safe workplace is essential to prevent production from halting and to avoid potential legal issues against the company.
No matter whether in China or in the rest of countries of the world, manufacturing companies must comply with applicable laws and regulations to ensure the legal rights of employees with regard to having a safe workplace and environment. This includes packaging workplaces where workers are engaged in various tasks such as handling machinery, operating packaging equipment, and dealing with potentially hazardous materials.
By prioritizing safety in packaging workplaces, employers can prevent accidents, injuries, and occupational hazards. This not only safeguards the physical health of workers but also promotes their psychological well-being and helps maintain a positive work environment. Ensuring safety measures are in place can significantly reduce the risk of incidents such as slips, falls, exposure to harmful substances, and accidents involving machinery.
Why Does Safety in Packaging Workshop Matter?
The packaging workshop is the one that follows the processing workshop, in the latter where products like beverage cans or food ingredients are processed and packed in primary packaging.
In the packaging workshop, we may bump into a variety of secondary and tertiary packaging equipment that operates with a series of complex kinematics to automate the packaging process: stacking, folding, erecting, sealing, wrapping, etc. Unlike primary packaging machines which involve simpler processes, while admittedly they do have some potential risk of injuries, secondary packaging equipment should be attached with further importance due to their relatively more complex working principles.
As suggested by Sara Hoidahl at Douglas Machine Inc., “Manufacturing safety is essential to preventing or reducing the risk of workplace injuries.”
As follows we will look into some tips for maintaining your packaging workplace safe throughout your production processes.
Have no idea about the safety concerns of packaging machines?
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1. Implement Safety Training and Ensure People Know the Machines
The foremost tip is to ensure that those people who operate the packaging machines in a daily manner know well the equipment they deal with.
Enforcing safety training for employees can improve their awareness of potential hazards and risks involved in operating or working around packaging machinery. Safety training also educates workers on emergency procedures and the proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and thus encourages employees to work safely and minimize the likelihood of accidents or injuries.
The safety training with the packaging equipment should list and point out those mechanisms where injuries may occur and thus improve an individual’s awareness of the packaging equipment’s capabilities and limitations – which brings reciprocal benefits now that the workers will in turn be able to identify, figure out and report any malfunctions or potential issues promptly, reducing the risk of accidents or breakdowns that could compromise safety.
2. Impose Standard Lockout/Tagout Procedures
LOTO procedure should be in fact a part of the safety training program but we list it separately hereby to dive into the importance of this tip.
The Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) procedure is essential to prevent accidental or unintentional startup of machines that may cause the one who casually triggers the machine caught with serious injuries or even fatalities. That is to say, LOTO procedures are a set of safety measures implemented in industrial settings to protect workers from hazardous energy sources during the servicing or maintenance of machinery or equipment.
Lockout and Tagout Kits
Credit: Boshi Safety Products
3. Specify your Safety Requirements with the OEM
Checking all the details with OEM (original equipment manufacturer) regarding safety concerns is essential at the very first stage of inquiry when you are looking for your first set of packaging machines. Functions and devices like safety guard switches, proximity switches (to detect the abnormal position during the operation – raised guide for example), light curtains, light stacks, and safety guards, for example, should be taken into consideration for Input/Output (I/O) of PLCs and modules before the machine is programmed. It is essential that you should specify and check with the manufacturer in terms of the points and sections on the machine where injuries may occur potentially and in accordance with which the manufacturer should check how many I/O they will need with the machine’s programming.
Irresponsible suppliers like resellers and manufacturers who supply cheap packaging machines tend to look over the importance and safety devices. This is either for the reason that they focus only on price to provide the most “competitive” products so as to capture clients – such is the reason why we always recommend finding a reliable packaging machine OEM.
4. Introduce the use of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)
Maintaining a safe working environment in packaging workshops is a shared responsibility. By implementing proper safety measures and providing necessary PPE to all workers, employers can significantly reduce workplace accidents and injuries.
Working with packaging machines involves numerous risks, including cuts, flying debris, exposure to hazardous chemicals, and repetitive motion injuries. Employees operating in such environments must be equipped with the appropriate PPE to ensure their safety and prevent workplace accidents. The following are essential protective gear that should be utilized in a packaging workshop:
- Safety Glasses/Face Shields: Presence of flying debris, particles, or hazardous chemicals may pose severe risks to the eyes. Safety glasses or face shields provide necessary protection and prevent any potential eye damage.
- Protective Gloves: Handling packaging materials, sharp objects, or coming into contact with chemicals can potentially harm workers’ hands. Wearing appropriate protective gloves such as cut-resistant or chemical-resistant gloves safeguards against cuts, burns, and chemical exposures.
- Respiratory Protection: Packaging workshops might involve the use of harmful gases, fumes, or dust particles, which can be damaging to the respiratory system. Respiratory protection in the form of masks or respirators can help workers breathe safely and minimize the risk of respiratory issues.
- Protective Clothing: Workers in packaging workshops may deal with chemicals, extreme temperatures, or rotating parts of machines. Wearing proper protective clothing such as coveralls, lab coats, or aprons prevents direct contact with hazardous substances and safeguards against minor injuries.
