You're an industrial engineer. How can you make your workplace safer?

As an industrial engineer, prioritizing workplace safety is paramount. Conduct regular risk assessments, provide thorough employee training, and ensure proper ergonomic design. Equip workers with appropriate safety gear and maintain machinery regularly. Establish and enforce safe work practices, and be prepared for emergencies. Strive for continuous improvement through feedback and updates to policies. With these measures, workplace safety can be significantly enhanced.

Während die einen KI zum Hoffnungsträger für Wachstum und Wohlstand stilisieren, warnen andere davor, immer tiefer in die Abhängigkeit von internationalen Tech-Giganten zu rutschen. Beide Seiten haben gute Argumente, aber die Zukunft vorauszusagen ist angesichts der dynamischen Entwicklung bei KI-Anwendungen unmöglich. Zumindest für uns Menschen, doch auch dies kann KI besser und hat bei Wettervorhersagen, Stauprognosen oder Aktienanalysen längst die Führung übernommen.

1) Improve Your Workplace Safety Culture The first step towards industrial safety is creating a safety culture in your facility. People should be aware of the risks involved in their work and learn how to prevent them. The safety culture in a company gets improved by developing a set of written rules, policies, and procedures for the workplace, implementing a system to monitor and evaluate the safety culture, and encouraging employees to be proactive regarding safety.

Identifying, assessing, and mitigating workplace hazards. Whether it’s an obvious occupational hazard or a more implicit safety hazard, the industrial engineer must protect their workforce on the worksite. Creating a proactive approach and implementing a process to keep your team safe is a priority. Collect and review information about the hazards present or likely to be present in the workplace. Conduct initial and periodic workplace inspections of the workplace to identify new or recurring hazards.

Use of standards procedure helps in making work place safe. Most procedure gives a guideline on how to perform a task and the step to make the working area safe

Os controles podem ocorrer na fonte, no trajeto ou no trabalhador, e certamente reduzem os níveis de exposição dos colaboradores; entretanto, a melhor política é a de conscientização e fiscalização sobre a importância das medidas implementadas. Algo que tem funcionado muito bem são os procedimentos de controle com responsabilidade compartilhada, como o Poka Yoke, onde, para que uma etapa seja cumprida, outra necessita ser encerrada, e o sistema LOTO (Lockout Tagout), que envolve o conhecimento e assinaturas de diversos setores, antes da realização de uma atividade.

To mitigate risks, controls must be implemented and monitored when workplace hazards are identified and assessed. Engineering, administrative, and PPE controls exist. Guards, barriers, and ventilation systems are excellent engineering controls for creating safer systems and processes. Operational changes affect task execution, including safety requirements, education, and schedules. The least effective kind of worker protection is personal protective equipment (PPE)—gloves, masks, and goggles. To reduce hazards, these steps must be implemented and assessed regularly. Improving workplace safety requires reviewing safety events, following up, and getting worker feedback.

Creating a culture of safety through: Education and Training: Equip your team with the tools they need to stay safe and confident on the job. provide engaging safety training programs that cater to different roles and address the unique challenges of our workplace. Regular refreshers will keep everyone sharp and up-to-date, ensuring we're all on the same page when it comes to safety. Continuous Improvement: We're all in this together, constantly striving to make our workplace safer for everyone. Regularly review your performance, celebrate your successes, and brainstorm ways to do even better. When people know their insights and ideas are valued they work together to keep making strides toward a safer environment for everyone.

Clarity and management support are two key points for an effective safety program. Upper management should be involved and make it clear that they support the program before cost savings, production numbers, etc. Their involvement is to help employees believe in the program as well as make it clear that the safety program is there for the employees benefits, not to “trap” employees when they do something wrong. This and all other elements of the program should be clear and available for all employees. All employees should know about the frequency, types of accidents and investigations into these accidents so they know how the program is proceeding and how they can keep themselves safe.

O diálogo de segurança na fábrica é essencial para a segurança dos trabalhadores, promovendo conscientização, prevenção de acidentes e um ambiente de trabalho saudável e seguro para todos.

"La minute sécurité : mettant en avant l'idée d'une réunion quotidienne dédiée à la sécurité, qui se déroule soit avant, soit après le débriefing, afin de mettre en lumière son importance et sa régularité dans le contexte du travail quotidien."

O chão de fábrica é uma escola viva, onde os colaboradores são alunos ávidos por conhecimento prático. Cada desafio enfrentado e superado é uma aula que não pode ser ensinada em salas de conferência ou por meio de manuais. É a experiência tangível que forja especialistas em seus ofícios.

Working together and constantly improving one's skills are crucial for an industrial engineer who prioritizes safety. Share and learn from industrial safety committees and networks. There can be tremendous advances in safety through mentoring, which involves both giving and receiving guidance. To avoid risks, access and contribute to best practices and lessons gained. To stay abreast of safety standards and trends, attend seminars, webinars, or other similar events. Engagement in safety research or projects enhances your safety knowledge and application. A workplace culture of safety is beneficial for all employees, and you can help foster one by implementing these principles.

Quando se fala em segurança e controles operacionais, o consenso é que “o óbvio precisa ser dito, questionado e testado”. Questionar-se sobre as medidas implementadas é um dever de todos, e a comunicação é fundamental dentro do cenário industrial. Uma das maiores fontes de incidentes na indústria ainda é a falha humana, e para mitigar este problema, a sinergia e contribuição de todos é um fator determinante.