Analyze your close calls

Safety is always a priority in a manufacturing automation setting. A way to maintain good safety is by hazard analysis done by properly trained personnel. Close-call reporting should be done as part of the hazard analysis. Reporting potential issues and concerns is a good first step, but companies also must be willing to absorb the evidence and update their policies as well. The article gives an example of a conveyor system that was known to have the potential to throw aggregate 20 ft or more across a walkway. Despite being a known safety concern, a maintenance person was injured because of some flying aggregate from this conveyor. Hazard analysis had been done on the machine, but not all of the safety concerns had been completely corrected. The result was an injury that did not have to happen. After the incident, side guards were installed to prevent a reoccurrence. It is important to have continuous hazard analysis and qualified lead-safety personnel that can implement changes quickly and completely to keep workers safe.  Read the full article at Machine Design. 

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