Manage Machinists? 4 Tips for Keeping Your Workers Safe in the Shop

As the owner of a machine shop, you already have a lot to worry about. From meeting deadlines to making sure the forming oil you ordered is on the floor, there’s a lot for you to consider on a daily basis. The safety of your works is another, very essential, part of that. To make sure you’re doing all you can to keep your workers safe, consider these four tips.

Train

One of the most important factors in keeping your employees safe is properly training them. Mistakes happen when employees are either tired or they’re not effectively trained. If you have to spend a little extra to bring in a professional trainer, then you should make the investment. One payment can go a long way against having to dip into workers’ compensation because someone injured themselves. By having trained employees on the floor, they’ll know how to work the machines, when to notice something is wrong, and how they can help others when something potentially damaging occurs.

Always Wear Protective Equipment

You should also drill into your employees that no one should walk the shop floor unless they’re wearing their protective equipment. You can provide them with functional and effective protective equipment that will keep them safe and not hinder their jobs. If one of your employees has something else they prefer to wear, you should still insist upon your own protective equipment that you have supplied for them. That being said, innovation does exist, and it might not hurt to see if the employee’s equipment can do the job better than what you have your employees wearing currently.

Don’t Force Machines to Work

It’s just a fact of working in the shop that machines will malfunction. When this occurs, your employees might feel they just need to keep using it. Don’t let them fall into this potentially dangerous habit. Instead, educate them on how to inspect the machines. If something feels off, don’t let them force the machine to cooperate. Instead, take the time to bring in a crew to repair it.

Partner Up

Lastly, you can improve the safety of your shop floor by having your employees work in teams. This can help them stay responsible for one another. It’s also an effective method of training if you’re bringing in new blood. Partnering them up with veterans in the shop can teach the new employee how to be safe.

With these four tips in hand, you can improve the safety of your machine shop. With good training, proper protective equipment, understanding the machine, and having a partner, your employees will be prepared for any emergency.