Keeping accidents at a minimum and production at a maximum

Safety should always come first. There are simple steps employers can take in order to ensure that the workplace is safe for employees. The first thing that you can do to help minimize accidents at work is to do routine checks or the workplace environment and access any dangers that may exist. You should lookout for possible dangers. Some of the items you should consciously be on the lookout for are frayed cables or cords, slip and fall hazards, equipment not working properly, and areas where employees might not be able to be seen or call for help.

In addition to your routine walk through, you should also perform job hazard analysis for each of your employees. This analysis would look at hazards the individual may face, the employees attitude towards safety, whether proper protective gear is being provided and worn by the employee, and finally if the employee has the proper skills and abilities to work in a safe manner at their current station. Try implementing behavior-based safety in your plant to determine if your employees are in danger of accidents because of the way they are working. The information gathered in your analysis and implementation can help to preempt any dangers, indicate areas of improvement and provide insight into possible changes in personnel.

Finally, one of the simplistic approaches in helping to minimize accidents on the job is to provide safety training. Training should be part of the mandatory induction process. The training should include information on who dedicated first aid personnel are in the organization, where fire exits are and what the procedures are relating to fire and other mass building evacuations, and who and where to report their concerns about unsafe work environments or practices. Other items should include the use of personal protective equipment, stress management, how to avoid repetitive strain injuries and safe lifting and ergonomic practices.

Other ways in which to help make the work environment safe is making sure that individual workspaces are organized and well maintained. Eliminate unnecessary items, organize the space in a meaningful manner to accommodate the needs of the process, standardize the process, and keep it clean. Fewer accidents take place in areas that are well maintained and organized. Individuals take pride and are more productive in such spaces.

If safety comes first and is achieved, then production can naturally be increased as a result. Other methods of helping to maximize production include eliminating individuals who are unproductive or unsafe. The costs associated with keeping individuals around who have no desire to do their best or to help keep things safe are astronomical.t is better for all involved if those individuals are let go.

Routinely evaluating and providing positive feedback along with the areas needed for improvement can help maximize production. If there are areas that are lacking, training can also be provided. A well trained individual truly maximizes production in not only skill, but confidence.

Find ways of extending supplies and personnel. Find methods to extend your raw materials. When you indicate the importance of utilizing every bit, that carries over to your personnel as well and they will tend to perform to their best. Production maximization can be achieved simply by shifting around personnel to match their strengths to the tasks. By doing simple things like training, teaming, and job skill evaluations you are able to get the most value out of your employees and materials.

Finally, evaluate and make sure that you have your processes divided up into simplistic pieces. If you overwhelm or overcomplicate a process or person, you can reduce the production output. Small work cells are best suited to maximizing production and minimizing accidents.