Abstract
Regardless of automation in most manufacturing processes, companies still require human labor to compliment technology to achieve business growth. Manufacturing processes pose huge risks to safety and health concerns. Therefore, it is necessary to acknowledge that PPEs form an important aspect in the manufacturing industry. This paper seeks to decipher why PPEs are of great benefit in preventing and reducing injuries. Literature review samples proved why safety and health issues are of great significance to an organization. Additionally, adherence to stipulated OSHA safety and health regulations benefits the business in the following areas; employee retention, productivity due to motivated workers and reduction of fines for fatality cases, this positively impacts the company’s reputation. Regular checkups, assessment, and replacement are recommended to ensure the reduction of loopholes as far as safety is concerned. Workers should be thoroughly trained on the types and right usage of PPEs; procurement of the right designs and fitting PPEs is key to ensure that injuries are minimized and production is enhanced.
Introduction
In spite of technological advancements and automation of major manufacturing processes; manufacturing industries still rely on workers to bolster productivity and achieve business growth. These processes pose a huge threat to workers’ safety and this is why manufacturing safety and adherence to the protection of workers should be upheld. Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) plays a critical role in enhancing the safety of the workers within their work environment. It is necessary to acknowledge that PPEs form an important aspect in the manufacturing industry; this paper seeks to decipher why PPEs in the manufacturing industry prevent and reduces injuries.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The management must ensure that employees are provided with a safe and healthy environment to discharge their duties. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) at the United States Department of Labor points out that employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthy workplace under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, (Friend & Kohn, 2018). Provisions of PPEs extend to the training of workers on the proper usage of the equipment, auditing and consistent improvement on the loopholes noted in the safety of the workers to prevent damage or hazards at the workplace (Friend & Kohn, 2018). There are high chances of exposure and harm in manufacturing industries and it is recommended therefore that workers should at all times have the protective gear on to safeguard themselves from any sort of harm.
Literature Review
Extremely steady and aggressive efforts are needed to implement a safety strategy at the workplace. The industrial revolution has led to enormous growth in the manufacturing sector and the demand for more labor. This growth has equally resulted in a high number of injuries at the workplace. The reluctance of most manufacturing companies to fully implement safety and health programs has attracted the attention of key scholars. According to Scott et al, 2018. there were more than 400 work fatalities in the manufacturing sector for the year 2018. The main cause of these injuries was attributed to the lack of use of improper protective gear. Organizational negligence on regular checks, the presence of loopholes in their safety program and improvement to meet the recommended standards by OSHA were also key factors (Scott et al., 2018).
Implementation of recommended safety regulations and more especially PPEs has been deemed an appropriate measure to combat injuries and boost safety assurance. Construction and manufacturing industries are the worse affected sectors in the number of hazards and as such workers in these sectors are more conscious to put on their protective gear at all times when they are at work (Scott et al., 2018). Research studies have shown that proper use of PPEs reduces accidents and injuries by a significant percentage of more than 40% (Khahro et al., 2020). To get desirable results with PPEs, it necessary to subject employees to refresher courses and consistent training on safety and health concerns (Khahro et al., 2020). These series of pieces of training go a long way in helping workers gain proper insights on the importance of protective equipment usage and the right types of PPEs to use in their different sections of work within a manufacturing organization.
Notwithstanding PPEs being an important component in the safety and health of workers; non-compliance by both the employer and employees are still rampant. This creates serious challenges in implementing a personal protective equipment program in manufacturing industries (Utami & Sillehu, 2020). Manufacturing companies fear poor review by regular OSHA audits on their PPEs program as this could reflect badly on their reputation. This paranoia has led to the adoption of competitive protective equipment in the manufacturing industries in U.S. Accidents weighs heavily on the companies in terms of wages and compensation of the victims; it also affects the rest of the employees psychologically for the loss of their loved ones (Khahro et al., 2020). Additionally, rampant accidents reduce productivity and this is why personal protective gears are more significant in creating a safe working environment.
Different types of PPEs
Personal protective equipment varies from one manufacturing company to another based on the dangers and risks involved with working in such environments. The most common PPEs are categorized as follows; head, eye/face, hand, respiratory, hearing, body, and footwear protections (Sukmandari, Pramono, & Subekti, 2020). It is the Employer’s responsibility to procure the right PPEs for his/her employees and train them on proper use. The designing of the protection equipment should be attractive and fitting (Friend & Kohn, 2018). This is to enhance accurate results and prevent any room for exposure. However, procuring and training won’t be enough; further assessing and replacement is necessary regularly to ensure that no stone is left unturned in matters of safety and health concerns of employees.
The simple act of wearing protective gear when working can save a worker’s life in case of an accident. Safety and health issues at work are a collaborative task; it shouldn’t be just the employer’s responsibility alone but also the workers too. The workers should willingly support the safety programs through adherence to all safety and health regulations with no compromises (Ofoegbu et al., 2019). There are enormous benefits accrued from the use of PPEs; consistent use of goggles and full facial masks protects one from any harm to their eyes or face from any flying objects or debris. Respiratory protection is necessary if an employee deal with toxic chemical substance like dust and paint spray which if inhaled causes serious damage, the use of respirators protects workers against any harm (Friend & Kohn, 2018). Earplugs and earmuffs are essential in safeguarding workers against extreme noise from machine activity.
Effective use and implementation of PPEs regulations amount to great business benefits. Manufacturing companies with a rich culture and investment in personal protection equipment tend to attract competitive talent and motivated employees. When the company guarantees the safety and health of workers, this creates some serenity and enables employees to freely work without any sort of anxiety resulting in high production (Khahro et al., 2020). Implementation of occupational safety and health act puts a manufacturing company on the right side of the law and this reduces fines and settlements whilst boosting income and the company’s reputation. Most injuries experienced at the workplace as a result of negligence normally end in court (Khahro et al., 2020). Research shows that companies with efficient personal protection equipment have few cases and zero cases involved with injuries and fatalities in court and tend to enjoy a good reputation. Employee retention is not only associated with a competitive compensation model and benefits but also a provision of a safe and healthy environment to work (Khahro et al., 2020). Provision of safe working spaces and mitigation of any exposures compliments a company’s compensation package to motivate employees to dedicate their expertise long-term. This saves the company a lot of resources in recruiting and hunting for talent.
Negative assessment reports from OSHA annually might sound light but it weighs badly on the company’s reputation. This negatively impacts public confidence and in the long run, causes a decline in business (Au et al., 2017). Repairing the damage will cost a lot of resources; this is a good reason why resources spent on a competitive PPEs program should not feel like a loss at all because a safe work environment equals to zero injuries and maximum productivity.
Based on the literature reviews explored above, PPEs usage is significant for industries, especially in the manufacturing sector. Failure to adhere to occupational safety and health regulations attracts serious consequences, which might eventually lead to the closure of the factories in case of total non-compliance. Toxic work environments limit the potential of workers but safe, friendly and healthy workplaces motivate employees and enhance productivity. Therefore, it is important to affirm that the use of PPEs is a vital aspect of manufacturing; manufacturing industries should develop a safety culture to be embraced by employees and strict regulations to punish workers who fail to put on their protection equipment when at work. Regular assessment, replacements of worn-out PPEs and consistent training should bolster the use of protective gear. Purchasing quality PPEs is not enough; follow up programs should be put in place to ascertain the success of the program. Employers through the safety department should be on the lookout for advancement in PPEs to avoid using outdated protection gear.
References
Au, K. W., Davalos, P., Venkatesha, S., Khurana, H., Bedros, S. J., Mohideen, M. I., ... & Cabuz, C. (2017). U.S. Patent No. 9,695,981 . Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Friend, M. A., & Kohn, J. P. (2018). Fundamentals of Occupational Safety and Health (7 ed.). Lahman, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.
Khahro, S. H., Ali, T. H., Memon, N. A., & Mmon, Z. A. (2020). Occupational accidents: a comparative study of Construction and Manufacturing Industries. Current Science, 118 (2), 243-248. Retrieved 4 3, 2020
Ofoegbu, C. C., Okaro, A. C., Analo, C., & Onyemachi, P. (2019). An Assessment of Supply, Use And Factors that Hinder use of Personal Protective Equipment in Medium Scale Manufacturing Industries in Anambra-State, South East Nigeria. Scholars International Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine , 5.
Scott, K. A., Fisher, G. G., Baron, A. E., Tompa, E., & Stallones, L. (2018). Same‐level fall injuries in US workplaces by age group, gender, and industry. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 61 (2), 111-119. Retrieved 4 3, 2020
Sukmandari, E. A., Pramono, T. D., & Subekti, A. T. (2020). A Qualitative Research of the Use of Personal Protective Equipment on the Workers of Metal Manufacturing Industry. Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Health Sciences (ICHS 2018). Paris, France: Atlantis Press.
Utami, T. N., & Sillehu, S. (2020). Compliance of the Use of Personal Protective Equipment for Workers. Proceedings of the 5th Universitas Ahmad Dahlan Public Health Conference (UPHEC 2019) (pp. 128-131). Paris, France: Atlantis Press.
