About Factory Work Safety

Working in a factory exposes employees to a variety of health and safety hazards. According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), employers are responsible for securing the work environment so that hazards are minimized and employees can perform their jobs safely.

Identification

• Companies must assess factory work areas to identify pervading safety hazards. Employers must conduct a job safety evaluation to determine what aspects of the job put employees in harm's way. Based on the hazards identified, a company can implement safety solutions to prevent onsite incidents.

Safeguarding

• Since workers handle heavy machinery and equipment in factories, companies need to install mechanical safeguards to prevent occupational injuries, such as amputations. According to OSHA, 44 percent of workplace amputations occur in the manufacturing industry with employees who handle machines, tools, saws, presses, forklifts and trash compactors.

Economic Impact

• Factory work safety has an economic impact for employers. Occupational injuries result in employees missing work days, which leads to a loss of productivity that ends up costing employers money. For example, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 127,130 occupational incidents were reported in the private manufacturing industry in 2009, and each incident resulted in an average of nine missed work days.