Manufacturing activities in which heavy equipment and auxiliary tools are involved are associated with the risk of injury, which explains the need to develop adequate safety measures. Protective algorithms will be considered on the examples of three workflows – operating electric forklifts in narrow spaces, repairing the hydraulic system on the gas-powered forklift, and operating the large sheet metal shear. The effectiveness of control measures for the health risks that these processes pose needs to be analyzed utilizing the framework of the hierarchy of controls.
Operating Electric Forklifts in Narrow Aisles: Hazards and Injuries
When driving an electric forklift, operators may face the risk of injury. Working conditions in warehouses are fraught with health risks due to limited space and the importance of careful maneuvering (“Powered industrial trucks,” n.d.). When maneuvering in narrow aisles, the operator may accidentally hit stacks of loads, which may begin to fall and cause serious damage to the head and soft tissues. Another potential risk is the possibility of being pinched by loads that could tip from the impact of the forklift and immobilize the operator.
Control Measures
As control measures, several solutions can be proposed, which correspond to the framework presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC (2023), and can reduce potential injury risks for electric forklift operators. At a lower level, equipping the operator with protective items, such as hard hats and heavy clothing, can be suggested. Administrative controls may include additional training for staff to ride in narrow aisles. At the engineering level, more attention to the placement of stored loads should be given. At the substitution stage, the expansion of movement routes is proposed. Finally, at the elimination level, the motion algorithms of electric forklifts must be clearly regulated by safety standards.
Effectiveness of Control Measures
Before equipping operators with safety hard hats and uniforms, the risks of open injuries are higher than after, although, in the case of a heavy fall, this measure is ineffective. Without training, employees have no idea about the principles of correct movement on electric forklifts, while education allows for increasing knowledge (“Powered industrial trucks,” n.d.). The inefficient placement of stored goods is a direct prerequisite for injury, but the rational use of space reduces these risks. Finally, the expansion of movement routes and the regulation of motion algorithms can reduce the risk of injury significantly by minimizing dangerous movements, and without them, all previous solutions are not completely safe.
Recommendations
Increasing the professional qualifications of electric forklift operators is an important condition for reducing the risk of injury. Particular attention to the study of maneuvering should be a mandatory aspect of labor protection to prevent incidents in the workplace (“Powered industrial trucks,” n.d.). The aforementioned control measures should be implemented through the construction of a phased program in which all involved participants understand the objectives of the proposed measures and are ready to follow the instructions provided.
Repairing Gas-Powered Forklifts’ Hydraulic Systems
Hydraulic system repairs may involve leakage or spillage of lubricant (“Powered industrial trucks,” n.d.). Another risk is the implementation of repair work in an unprepared place for this. These actions, in turn, are fraught with mistakes and can cause serious injury to plant employees. A gas leak can cause both mild discomfort and serious poisoning of the body. Performing repairs in an unintended location may result in physical injury due to accidental dropping or broken parts.
Control Measures
According to the CDC’s (2023) hierarchy of controls, five control measures can be identified. At the lowest level, maintenance crews can get protective respirators and uniforms that trap chemical fumes. Administrative controls may include providing memos to employees, which contain detailed instructions on disassembling components. Engineering controls are related to the provision of serviceable equipment to forklift operators. At the highest levels of substitution and elimination, the appointment of professional teams to maintain plant machinery and the prohibition of operating defective equipment are control measures, respectively.
Effectiveness of Control Measures
Without protective respirators and uniforms, service workers are not protected, and with this equipment, they receive basic protection against harmful substances. Without a clear understanding of the rules of repair work, employees can violate the norms for disassembling and assembling, while memos can be utilized as useful manuals that minimize injuries. Providing workers with defective equipment endangers their health, and working only on serviceable forklifts eliminates this danger (“Powered industrial trucks,” n.d.). Unskilled repairers may not operate properly, and the appointment of professional service personnel and the prohibition of the use of faulty forklifts are adequate measures to eliminate risks.
Recommendations
The optimal control measures that are appropriate to eliminate the risks of injury are the appointment of qualified repair teams and the prohibition of the use of faulty equipment during working hours. Any operational inspection must be accompanied by a vehicle safety assessment, including for operators themselves (“Powered industrial trucks,” n.d.). Therefore, only serviceable equipment is the key to the absence of severe health threats.
Operating the Large Sheet Metal Shear
Working with sheet metal cutting comes with some risks that require adequate safety measures to be taken. This material is heavy, and its edges often remain sharp when trimmed (“Sheet metal,” n.d.). Accordingly, by negligence, the worker can harm oneself seriously. Injuries caused by falling large pieces of cut metal or traumas caused by cuts from sheet edges are potential hazards that should be avoided.
Control Measures
Based on CDC’s (2023) control measures, several levels of safety can be suggested. Protective gloves and glasses are the simplest tools for injury prevention. At the administration control step, employee familiarization with sheet metal work should be promoted. Engineering control may involve using safe metal-cutting equipment in the workplace. The replacement of human labor with machine labor is a substitution decision to exclude risks, and at the elimination stage, the refusal to work with raw metal is a control measure.
Effectiveness of Control Measures
Prior to wearing gloves and glasses, employees absolutely do not protect vulnerable parts of the body. Without knowledge of metal-cutting principles, workers are at risk of injury, and adequate training is the way to minimize the threats (“Sheet metal,” n.d.). Without the use of high-precision equipment, the danger is higher than with specialized machines. The complete transition to machine work and the refusal of raw metal sheets are essential optimization solutions that completely eliminate threats because, without such measures, even minor risks of injury remain.
Recommendations
Modifying cutting equipment and adding machine components are essential steps to avoid injury when working with sheet metal. Traditional methods of this material processing require extensive training, and if not prepared, employees risk serious trauma (“Sheet metal,” n.d.). Therefore, the elimination of threats through the replacement of human labor and advanced training are justified steps to improve the safety of work in the manufacturing plant.
Conclusion
The use of the hierarchy of controls framework highlights the most effective ways to eliminate the risk of injury when performing the three aforementioned processes in the manufacturing plant. Risk prevention at substitution and elimination levels is the most effective approach. Basic preventive solutions, such as training and introducing protective equipment, are essential to completely eliminate the risk of injury and follow professional safety standards.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Hierarchy of controls. Web.
Powered industrial trucks (forklift) eTool. (n.d.). United States Department of Labor. Web.
Sheet metal. (n.d.). United States Department of Labor. Web.