Why safety is the number-one priority in manufacturing

Workplace accidents can be devastating to manufacturers, so a sensible safety strategy and collaborative relationship with suppliers is essential

The UK’s Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are a significant part of the country’s manufacturing sector, producing unbranded goods to be sold on by other companies. As you’d expect, when employees are in close proximity to automated machinery, moving parts and electrical devices, they must be suitably protected.

Not only is the right thing to do, but workplace safety is also key to the success and sustainability of a business. If a manufacturer fails to invest in health and safety then they may find themselves contravening legislation, which could lead to punitive fines and potential personal lawsuits from injured employees, not to mention the damage to a company’s reputation.

Employee safety
“Workplace safety is extremely important in the OEM sector,” says Richard Graham, Industry Sector Manager at RS. “The companies in this sector are ultimately responsible for the employees’ safety, so they need to take this very seriously. This is a sector with a number of risks, so it’s well worth the investment in safety equipment and training if it prevents a serious accident.

“Typical risks that employees at OEM manufacturers come up against are working with machinery and also electricity – if engineers are repairing equipment and the power is switched back on there could be serious consequences,” he adds. “As such, some of the most common safety devices we provide customers with are lock-out switches that stop colleagues from accidentally turning on a machine under repair.”

Safety should be designed in from the outset in all manufacturing processes and Graham is a firm believer in working collaboratively with OEMs so that they can find solutions that actually meet their needs. “We try to work closely with companies to identify the specific risks that they face in their business and then offer safety equipment that protects their employees,” he says.

“We have one customer who we provided with a particular voltage testing device, which they tried and approved, but they wanted to change one of the leads in the box to a higher specification. We were happy to reconfigure that through our trade counter because it meant the customer had the level of equipment they needed.”

Poor buying choices
Another area of workplace safety that Graham believes is a cause for concern is the desire to cut costs when purchasing safety equipment. When a company is purchasing a highly expensive piece of plant equipment, they will make sure it’s the real thing and that it meets safety standards. However, when it comes to gloves, hard hats, face masks and other smaller items, there can be a tendency to go with the cheapest option – even though the wrong safety equipment could cost a life and end up hugely damaging a business.

The price of safety equipment should never be the only consideration, says Graham. “It’s simple. Quality is the number one priority,” he states. “Cost is not irrelevant but should only come into the equation once you’ve established that you are comparing between equipment of equal quality.

“Our sector teams understand the industry as a whole, what’s happening in terms of legislation affecting safety and also the individual needs of particular manufacturers – that helps us collaborate with companies to find the safety equipment to fit their actual needs,” he adds. “We also work closely with equipment manufacturers to understand new technology so that we can make OEMs aware of better solutions as they come onto the market.”

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