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We’re far from the days of Victorian children having to maintain industrial equipment in newly built factories, and of course, that can only be a good thing. But that doesn’t mean that manufacturing facilities don’t present constant challenges when planning workplace safety. Any environment with constant machine churn, continual production of goods, and exposure to materials day in and day out can potentially cause injury. Of course, then there are the added issues we can find anywhere – a trip hazard is just a likely to be found in a library compared to a manufacturing space, and must be prepared against in advance.

In other words, despite advances in technology and stricter regulations, accidents still happen – often due to human error or equipment issues that could have been prevented. Modern automation helps reduce these risks, but can it ever lead to 0% safety? Not yet. But one day, hopefully.

As we move in that direction you might ask a question – can automated systems handle many dangerous tasks that previously put employees at risk, or even automate safety itself? We think there’s a chance. In this post we’ll discuss some helpful ways that might become a reality.

Smart Monitoring Systems

Technology now allows real-time monitoring of almost every aspect of production, which is great for safety and accountability measurement. Sensors can detect everything from equipment wear to unsafe temperatures too, whic means maintenance teams can be alerted before an issue takes place. At best, it could even pause production if issues are found. Modern conveyors and production lines can automatically stop if they detect potential hazards, and that prevents accidents before they happen. These systems work continuously if they’re kept in check, never getting tired or distracted. That provides a constant safety net for your facility.

Training & Integration

New safety automation only works when your team knows how to use it properly, otherwise there’s no real point. Automation always has a human safety failure point and upkeep must be ensured. That means continual training sessions should be implemented, to help workers understand both the capabilities and limitations of automated systems, and how it changes how they meaningfully manage their daily safety. Starting small with pilot programs, and letting workers get comfortable with new technology before expanding is a decent enough idea. Remember that experienced employees often have valuable insights about where automation could help most too, so you can potentially find greater yield (and better safety) in areas they deem to be a problem.

Maintenance & Updates

As we mentioned maintenance above, let’s dig into that topic a touch more. Creating a solid maintenance schedule will ensure the safety systems themselves don’t become hazards. That means assigned at least two people (both as accountability partners) to implement 

software updates, sensor calibration, and physical inspection, which you can then use to ensure your compliance to new safety standards in the space. This means you don’t have to learn the hard way, as a safety issue should never have to be taught through injury or neglect leading to a hazard.

With this advice, we hope you can more easily automate safety in your manufacturing space.