FEATURE TOPPRIORITY
Ensuring a safe working environment is a facilities manager's primary priority. However, the breadth and complexity of FMs’ duties are increasing, while budgets are getting smaller, so it is becoming more difficult to keep sites safe.
According to Watco’s latest research, a third (33%) of respondents said budget cuts had posed risks to safety within their business in the past year. This is resulting in FMs now having to choose the most serious hazards to prioritise as they simply cannot afford to complete them all.
So, what should FMs focus on first to have the biggest impact on safety in their facilities?
FLOOR SAFETY Damaged floors and surfaces were uncovered as one of the largest risks to health and safety, second only to time constraints.
There are a number of steps FMs can take to ensure that safety within the facility is not put at risk by damaged floor surfaces that can be easily repaired. For example, scheduling regular site inspections throughout the year or using a maintenance checklist so damages can be spotted and repaired at the earliest opportunity. By keeping a stock of commonly used repair products, such as crack fillers, smaller repairs can be quickly actioned. These tactics allow FMs to complete repairs cost effectively, before they have a chance to deteriorate into something more complex and expensive to resolve.
Scott Saunders, Technical Service Manager at Watco, discusses the difficulties facilities managers are facing to keep sites safe and how they can mitigate these risks.
with hazardous areas or dangerous machinery, unless necessary for a task they are undertaking.
https://www.watco.co.uk/help-advice/guides-and-resources/inspect-your-floors-with-our-maintenance-checklist
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Code is a useful colour code system for FMs to implement when line marking their facility as it is universal across businesses. Therefore, anyone who is familiar with the code will instantly understand that when they spot orange, for example, there is a dangerous part of a machine to be careful of.
As well as damage to floors being a threat to safety, only a quarter of respondents cited that they hadn’t been affected by slips, trips and falls in the last year. This risk can be significantly reduced by applying a slip-resistant coating. For areas that are particularly prone to becoming slippery, such as doorways leading outside, a two-part epoxy resin coating with an anti-slip aggregate is an effective choice. The coarse textured finish will give extra grip underfoot, while the high build coating will withstand wear from heavy traffic.
MATERIALS HANDLING The research also highlighted materials handling as a risk to safety with over a third (36%) stating that it had resulted in an accident or near-miss in their business in the last twelve months. Further to this, faulty or damaged materials handling equipment was identified in the top 10 biggest risks to health and safety.
Implementing designated safe walkways around a site, which are easily identifiable via line marking and sign posting, is an effective solution. It makes it easy for both employees and visitors new to a site to safely move around the facility, avoiding contact
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TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES Whilst FMs are ultimately responsible for upholding safety standards in their facility, it is the responsibility of the whole team to ensure safety procedures and processes are followed. Despite this, over a quarter of FMs (28%) said that employees aren’t aware of potential hazards and do not know how to control or report any risks, which undoubtedly results in significantly more stress for FMs.
To relieve some of this burden, organisations can look to external training opportunities for the wider team to learn more about health and safety, for example using resources from Health and Safety Executive. Arming employees with greater knowledge of how to keep themselves and others safe will empower them to take responsibility for their own safety.
https://www.hse.gov.uk/
Further to this, training them on how to spot the early signs of damage, and the procedures to follow to report hazards, will not only help make the facility safer but also help relieve some of the burden FMs face. This in turn can give FMs more time to spend focusing on other aspects of their role that require their expertise. For example, undertaking repairs and implementing solutions that will minimise risks.
www.watco.co.uk www.tomorrowshs.com
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