What do you do if worker safety is compromised in your manufacturing operations?

In short you can't credibly operate a manufacturing unit operation by putting your most valuable asset (people) at a safety risk. Significant failure through work scoping, risk assessment and procedures in place for the operations. New process introductions or reintroductions have got a safety duty (HAZOP) to ensure the process operates in a compliant and safe way.

I'm glad to see some of the replies that others have provided to this topic. I think it is important to remember that at the root of all of this is that work is just that: work. In pharmaceutical manufacturing, the expectation is that hazards and threats are mitigated by PPE, training, operational controls, and process controls. If you are in charge, you should know what the work flows are and where the hazards lie. Catastrophic "life and limb" situations need to be identified and controlled at the most serious level if they cannot be eliminated. Having a response plan and knowing how to use it is mandatory as well. When an incident occurs, take immediate action to assess, report, and deal with the incident. Make the right decision.

In one of my Gemba Walks as a Production Manager in one of my previous companies, I identified one of the employees in a brazing operation moving pipes around one of the machines. If you are not familiarized with brazing operations, there fire and water present (to not overcomplicate the explanation). It was a lady and she was around 6 1/2 months pregnant, tremendous belly!! The floor was a bit slippery due to the moist and I went to talk to her right away, gently removing her from the operation temporarily stopping it due to the foreseen risk. I had anti-slipping, ergonomic matts added to the floor space she was using to avoid any unwanted fatal accidents!!

Ensuring worker safety is paramount in manufacturing operations. If worker safety is compromised, it's crucial to take immediate action to address the situation and prevent further risks. Here's what you can do: Stop Unsafe Operations, Assess the Situation, Address Immediate Hazards, Implement Safety Protocols, Investigate the Incident, Communicate Effectively, Implement Corrective Actions, Provide Support and Training, Monitor and Evaluate, Promote a Safety Culture. By taking these proactive steps and prioritizing worker safety, you can create a safer work environment and minimize risks in manufacturing operations.

Safety comes first , no matter what there should not any compromise and negotiation in that. Every individual need to reach their loved ones back in homes safely . When we say safety , it calls for both physical and mental safety . If safety is at risk in any manufacturing operations, it calls for immediate action to rectify it even if we need to stop the process indefinitely. Once bleeding is stopped , take necessary preventative actions so that it should not repeat. Once actions are identified, update lesson learning and PFMEA so that it will be horizontally implemented wherever needed. This is my take on safety …

To solve the issue and shield your employees from more harm, act right away. This could entail halting production, leaving the location, contacting emergency services, administering first aid, isolating the issue, restoring the damage, or informing the authorities, depending on the circumstances. In addition to adhering to your emergency protocols and processes, you should also communicate with your stakeholders, management, and employees in a clear and timely manner.

I would stop work immediately. 1. Find the root cause of the risk 2. Implemented, countermeasures to reduce or eliminate the risk completely.

After taking time to identify the issue, you can now fill out the incident report. You must take immediate action for the safety of employees first, then identify and resolve.

Stop the activity until we are sure you eliminate the risk! No ifs ends or buts! There is no activity worth risking a person, no matter how important or expensive is the process. If the process is important or expensive, you should analyze and understand the risk so NEXT TIME you can error proof it and it does not happen again.

If compromised, then we need to examine the root cause of this and workout to eliminate this. Make it understand to all employees about this issue which will be our major contributing factor for losses.

Examine the issue and evaluate its causes and consequences. It is imperative that you carry out an exhaustive and impartial inquiry, consulting with your employees, supervisors, specialists, and outside parties as necessary. It is recommended that you gather and examine all pertinent facts, data, and feedback, utilizing techniques and tools including SWOT analysis, fishbone diagrams, 5 whys, and root cause analysis. Along with identifying and assessing the contributing elements, you should also consider organizational, technological, environmental, and human variables.

Nesta fase, é crucial investigar minuciosamente as causas, sendo assim, montar uma equipe estratégica para avaliar todas as etapas do processo, coletando e revistando evidencias. é de suma importancia a utiliza??o de ferramentas como análise de causa raiz e diagramas. Além disso, é importante avaliar fatores contribuintes, como aspectos humanos e ambientais, para desenvolver solu??es eficazes.

If there is any type of safety incident, it is important that you open, execute, and close an incident investigation in a timely manner. Incidents should typically be opened on the same day as the incident, and should be closed within 48-hours. Incident investigations need to have a detailed explanation of: - What happened - Why it happened - What was the root cause - How it can be prevented in the future You will need to compile: - Witness statements - Video records - Safety training records - Any safety responses, and corrective actions - Medical treatments Finally, make sure you have a standdown with your team to discuss the safety incident (without violating privacy), and to discuss any expectations, new requirements, and so on.

Staying updated with safety regulations and best practices is crucial. I actively participate in professional networks, attend safety conferences, and engage in continuous education and training programs. I also subscribe to industry publications and follow relevant regulatory agencies to stay informed about any changes or updates. This proactive approach ensures that I remain knowledgeable about the latest safety requirements and can effectively implement them in the workplace."

It's vital to ensure you evaluate impacts of your corrective actions. Could the solution impact other areas? What could go wrong with the corrective action and how to address any concerns with implementation in the direct and indirect path.

When implementing further controls make sure that the people who do the job are involved. Take their input about what the situation actually is rather than what your documents and/or management think is there. Make sure that the improved controls are meaningful to your team, that it does genuinely improve their working lives. Understand that there will be additional pressures on the team than just being safe, taking these sensitively into account when determining further control and actions outside of the OHS system is most likely to lead to a change that is long lasting

In my experience one of the worse things to do and the cause of low morale is to not close the communication feedback loop. No matter how small or even if it is decided that no current action is needed, every incident or potential hazard needs to have that communication link closed.

The best way to address worker safety concerns is to communicate the issue and its potential consequences to a decision-maker through formal channels. This ensures they are aware of the problem and can help you find a solution.

Let’s move this to the number one and maybe we won't have to take the other steps next time. I'd be willing to bet that although companies may have strict safety rules and standards they struggle with understanding how hard it is to comply with them as a worker. Often this results in failure to provide or allow enough authority, time, or resources to actually meet ALL of the Kpi’s. In this case eventually someone struggles with a decision, makes the wrong decision and does something that results in a safety incident. The saddest part of this is that the price of such a decision usually “paid” by the worker who believed they were acting in the best interest of the company. Put #6 first and I'm guessing the battle is much easier for all.

Nothing we do in manufacturing is worth anyone getting hurt. Machines can break, but they can be repaired. An injury may never heal. And in the worst case, an individual cannot be replaced for those who love and depend on them. When employees see their leaders truly care for them and their safety through their words and behaviors, it creates the strongest foundation you can build for a safety culture. If leaders do not truly care, a safety culture will never be sustainable.

Safety needs to be a value not only for the company, but mainly for the employee. Everyone should have a perception risk to avoid incidentes happening with themselves and colleagues. But even if you have a high level team, engaged with safety, a unexpected situation can happen and if so, all the attention need to be redirected for the situation to have a quick plan for a contingency, and in a second step a robust action plan with root cause analysis, to avoid the incident happen again.

Encourage a culture of safety in your manufacturing processes, where everyone views safety as a shared value, a top priority, and a habit. Safety actions and attitudes, such as reporting events, seeing dangers, making improvement suggestions, or using protective gear, should be encouraged and rewarded.

Recognizing and encouraging employees who adopt safe behaviors is an effective way to engage them in the safety culture. Encouraging them to contribute to risk perception, and giving feedback on safety observations made by themselves, is also a way of implementing a safety culture in workers' daily lives. Incentive programs, such as bonuses and prizes, or even through positive feedback and public recognition are effective tools for engagement.

In my operations we use to Pyramid Decision. This is a methodology from employees decisions and application the logic. In this pyramid we have four steps: 1° Safety/Environment - 2° Quality - 3° Cost/Organization - 4° Productivity - In summary this methodology create a culture from valour in all operation, safety and environment is non-negotiable; quality non-negotiable; cost and organisation is necessary and productivity is for survive. When you implement this logic you create in everybody to one really think how value for company. This a great and simple concept but if you need of the discipline and rigorous in your application/routine.

You should also solicit feedback and suggestions from your audience, and encourage them to participate in your safety improvement initiatives. You should use various channels and formats to communicate, such as meetings, newsletters, posters, or videos.

When something isn't safe, we need to stop doing it, until we understand the cause and the risk. To do otherwise goes against the fundamental value of respect for people. Creating a culture of psychological safety goes hand in hand with this. True safety is present when workers are physically safe, and also feel psychologically safe to report when something is wrong, without fear of retaliation, or rebuke.

Ensure that workers receive proper training on safety procedures and encourage them to report any safety concerns promptly. Ultimately, prioritizing worker safety is paramount in any manufacturing environment.

Well here are the steps every leader should take 1. Stop any operation or activity which compromising safety of the employee 2. Make sure everybody has work safe conditions 3. Identify the safety hazard and complete risk assessment 4. Build your nextsteps based on the risk assessment and actions coming out from it 5. Complete full PDCA cycle