« Educating multimedially | Main | Pack Expo picks up steam »
October 24, 2006
Safety takes many forms
Early sessions at this week's AIMCAL Fall Technical Conference in Reno, NV focused on a variety of safety issues for converters. Some of the topics are "no-brainers," but others may not come immediately to mind when considering the safety of both employees and facilities. For individuals, personal protective equipment (PPE) is the most important component of a safety program--clothing, face shields, gloves, footwear, head protection, etc. Another aspect to employee safety is an ergonomic study, which includes analyzing the way your employees lift, move, sit, etc. and finding ways to change the process to avoid potential injury.
Equipment maintenance and making sure that all the safety features of those devices are in place is another key in the safety plan. Too often, operators may remove or bypass equipment safety features to make a process "easier," but that only puts everyone at risk. And finally, one of the speakers related his story of a devastating plant fire earlier this year. Fortunately, no one was injured in the four-alarm blaze, and although a storage building was completely destroyed, having worked closely with local emergency responders paid off. All businesses should plan regular drills with first responders and have a comprehensive emergency plan in place for dealing with the unthinkable.
Do you have an emergency plan? Are there other aspects to consider in plant and employee safety?
- Keith Hevenor
Editorial/Conference Director
CMM International
Posted by khevenor at October 24, 2006 01:17 PM
