Health and Safety in the Manufacturing Industry

The manufacturing industry is based around a variety of sectors with approximately 2.5m workers in the UK alone, accounting for 9% of the workforce in Great Britain.

The 2007 SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) divides the manufacturing industry into 24 divisions or 6 sub-sectors including:

- Food and drink.

- Non-metallic products.

- Chemical and pharmaceutical products.

- Metallic products, specifically basic metals.

- Transport and transport products, in this including automobiles.

- Others, this includes textiles and materials, tobacco, electronics, etc.

The variety of such a multi-disciplinary industry signifies an equally diverse range of safety risks and hazards.

A 2020 study by the Labour Force Survey found that, in the UK alone, there is an average of 33,000 workers who have suffered health complications, or currently do so, caused by their current or most recent job in manufacturing.

Risks and hazards

Here we have split the health and safety hazards into 5 types:

- Psychosocial risk factors: higher levels of stress, anxiety and depression.

- Chemical risks: poisoning, breathing problems, skin rashes, allergic reactions, allergic sensitisation, cancer, and other health problems.

- Extreme temperatures risks: burns, frostbite, heat-stroke, etc.

- Machinery risks: falling objects, auditive issues due to loud machinery, being crushed between moving parts, burns or scalds due to materials and emissions from machinery, electrical shock and burns, etc.

- Physical risks: cuts and abrasions, slips and falls, injuries from lifting or pushing heavy loads, and so on.

PPE for the Manufacturing Industry

First consult with your supplier and/or a specialist adviser on what PPE is appropriately required. Next consider the user, the exposure itself and the duration and intensity of said exposure.

It is vital to consider effectiveness and compatibility when combining safety equipment for complete protection. PPE options for different parts of the body include:

- Eyes: safety goggles, glasses, face shields and visors.

- Head and neck: safety helmets and bump caps, some of which incorporate additional protective features; integrated safety glasses, ear defenders, hairnets and neck protection.

- Ears: a variety of earmuffs and earplugs which can be disposable or reusable, come with or without safety cords and offer varying levels of attenuation.

- Hands and arms: gloves, with a variety of protective features, gauntlets and sleeves which cover the arms partially or fully.

- Feet and legs: puncture-resistant boots, shoes with protective toecaps or other safety footwear like ankle-covering boots.

- Respiratory system: respirator face masks, filtering facepieces and power-assisted respirators.

- Whole body: safety harnesses, life jackets, overalls, protective suits and aprons fabricated with materials that are flame-retardant, anti-static, chemically impermeable, high-visibility or made from chain mail, according to the risks and needs involved.

It is important to carefully select and maintain emergency PPE in order to sustain its effectiveness. Staff training is absolutely vital to ensure workers know how to use their equipment safely and correctly.

However, there is a hierarchy of safety controls before resorting to the use and inclusion of PPE as a means of protection.

Where possible, the hierarchy should be orderly followed as:

- Elimination: physically remove the hazard,

- Substitution: replace the hazard,

- Engineering controls: isolate workers from the hazard,

- Administrative controls: regulate the way people work, and lastly,

- PPE: protect the worker physically with Personal Protective Equipment.

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