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SAFETY & HAZARDOUS AREAS
KEEPING PEOPLE SAFE when they’re working alone
Will smarter manufacturing be safer
manufacturing? Naz Dossa, CEO, Peoplesafe,
explores this question... M
any manufacturers are automating their processes wherever possible - and seeing the benefits, such as increased productivity, accuracy and quality. One of the areas frequently overlooked as companies transition to Industry 4.0, is the health and safety risks that it could pose to their employees, and the action that must now be taken to protect them. As more manufacturers adopt smart manufacturing and more of their processes are carried out by machines, the headcount on factory floors is likely to drop significantly. In fact, process, plant and machine operatives are at the highest risk of job automation1
. But while the risk of automation
to workers livelihoods’ has been widely discussed, the increased risk to those who remain on the factory floor must also be acknowledged and addressed by employers. That’s because with fewer workers on site, the number of lone workers within manufacturing organisations is likely to rise - and working alone inevitably increases health and safety risks. By ensuring they assess the risks to lone workers - and deploy appropriate technology - manufacturers can ensure that their workers are safe even when they’re not in sight. Lone workers are defined by the Health and
Safety Executive (HSE) here in the UK to be ‘anyone who works by themselves or without close or direct supervision’. This covers those who are completing tasks out of direct sight or earshot of colleagues and supervisors, as well as those who travel alone to a location to do their work. Within the manufacturing sector, many roles could be classed as ‘lone working’ - those who operate loud machinery out of sight of their colleagues, for example, and many shift workers will work alone on certain shifts. The issue has been exacerbated by the social distancing requirements enforced over the last year to ensure workplaces are Covid-safe.
In the past five years, there were an average of 22 workplace fatalities per year within the manufacturing sector alone. There were also more than 3,100 reports of major injuries, and 4,100 injuries that kept workers away from work for seven days or more2
.
While the HSE data doesn’t reveal how many of these workers were lone workers, lone workers are more at risk of serious injury because they have no one to call upon if they have an accident at work, increasing . the likelihood of a delay in getting help. If workers are required to make an ‘on the spot’ safety decision while they’re working alone, they don’t have anyone to ask for a second opinion, which means that they could be more susceptible to making the wrong decision that negatively impacts their personal safety. As Barbara Hockey, HSE’s Policy Lead for Vulnerable Workers, stated: “Lone workers make up an increasing and important part of the workforce, within a range of roles and sectors. Although there are no specific regulations relating to lone workers, the HSE has always recognised that this group of workers can be at higher risk.” The additional risk to lone workers requires employers to put extra measures in place to ensure that they’re protected. In the HSE’s recently updated guidance on lone working, it states that employers must ‘train, supervise and monitor lone workers’ and ‘keep in touch with them and respond to any incident’. It’s therefore crucial for employers to have an easy way to communicate with lone workers, wherever they are and whenever
they need to. Whilst workers can call or text colleagues, most lone worker safety devices enable lone workers to swiftly raise the alarm or send for help in the event of an incident or accident. Peoplesafe devices connect users to an Alarm Receiving Centre, where trained operators use two-way audio functions to speak with the user, alert managers or nearby colleagues to incidents, or contact emergency services where needed. Manufacturers should consider all of their options before choosing a lone worker safety solution, however, as they’re not all created equal. Workers in low-risk environments can benefit from a smartphone app, for example, but those working in hazardous areas will need a device that is ‘intrinsically safe’. Employers should also look for a device that provides optimum location services, as this could make a real difference to their response time in the event of an emergency. Geofencing technology is also a useful feature, creating virtual ‘fences’ in premises to remind staff to wear certain PPE, or allow managers to see who has entered certain hazardous environments.
Those manufacturers who invest in lone worker devices are making a long-term investment in the health and safety of their workforce, so they can work smarter and safer now, and in the future.
1
https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/ peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/articles/which
occupationsareathighestriskofbeingautomated/2019-03-25 2
https://www.hse.gov.uk/manufacturing/index.htm
Peoplesafe
www.peoplesafe.co.uk
DECEMBER 2020/JANUARY 2021 | PROCESS & CONTROL 17
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