Introduction
The Safety Management System (SMS) embodies an integrated approach to regulating all aspects of people’s activities in production. Thus, companies operating without these rules expose employees to significant danger. Such systems may include several regulatory rules designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of how employees should behave in specific situations (ILO, n.d.b). A meat processing plant can be a dangerous place where employees can slip or trip, causing significant harm to themselves or even death. Thus, the task of SMS is to provide a safe workplace that can completely protect workers from any health risks.
SMS Components
The main components of SMS include elements that are important to study to understand their functioning entirely in the future. One of the main elements is risk assessment and identification of hazards that may arise in connection with the performance of any action (ILO, n.d.a). In this context, regular checks must be carried out to prevent and eliminate hazardous elements in the workplace.
Another point is the training of employees, which should be carried out to ensure they understand how to avoid risky situations. In addition, an imperative attribute of SMS is the policy of security procedures, which includes maintaining constant communication between employees and superiors (ILO, n.d.a). This can ensure that managers are well aware of any new hazards. An emergency response plan is another aspect that outlines specific actions for employees to take in the event of an incident. Additionally, a culture of safety and compliance is integral to the SMS, as employees must develop a strong sense of commitment to safety.
SMS Regulations
In a meat processing plant, persons who perform executive functions at SMS must adhere to specific legal requirements. One of them is compliance with labor protection and safety regulations. This means that all managers must be responsible for how well employees comply with the SMS introduced at the enterprise.
Another important regulation is to provide training and all the necessary information to carry out the work correctly and safely (ILO, 2009). Warning employees of all potential hazards should be part of the initial training that all employees receive. This aspect is imperative for obtaining the opportunity to work legally (ILO, n.d.a). Maintaining safety documentation is also a legal requirement that must be met to ensure that inspection authorities are meeting all required standards. Companies must also work closely with regulators to ensure better compliance and effective consultation.
Principal Hazards
Workplace hazards can affect how employees perform their duties and their well-being, which can negatively impact job satisfaction and productivity. One type of hazard is physical, which involves slipping, tripping, or falling. This can happen due to wet and slippery floors on the plant premises. For example, this is especially true for rooms where meat is processed, and its liquids are released onto the floor.
Moreover, in this workshop, there may be a large number of cutting objects and mechanisms that can pose a threat (ILO, 2009). It is aggravated by falls as they can lead to severe injuries due to the worker landing on cutting objects or any mechanical moving parts that can cause impacts or crush bones. In this regard, employees must be given detailed instructions regarding the dangers of falls, slips, and trips.
Regarding other types of hazards, there is a risk of chemical exposure in a meat processing plant due to the use of certain cleaning products to maintain a clean work area. These substances can often contain strong solvents that are harmful to the skin and cause significant burns. In addition, such drugs can cause problems with the respiratory system since, if ingested, they will corrode the mucous membrane with vapors.
Ergonomic hazards may also be present because work in a meat processing plant requires frequent movement and movement around the plant, which may involve lifting heavy objects (European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, 2023). This places significant stress on the back and can cause serious injuries that will deteriorate the employee’s health and affect mobility throughout his life. Sprains, dislocations, and back injuries are among the most common workplace hazards resulting from improper ergonomics.
Biological hazards are also significant for meat processing plant workers, as they can become infected with various diseases from raw meat that can seriously harm their bodies. Several zoonotic diseases can be transmitted through careless contact with raw meat or its exposure to an open wound or mucous membrane. Carcass processing may be associated with a high risk of contamination, such as pathogens such as Salmonella or E. coli (Tözer et al., 2022). If insufficient attention is paid to such problems, they can develop into significant threats to human health and well-being. To prevent such threats within the enterprise, it is necessary to maintain sanitary conditions that are prescribed in the literature regarding safety precautions.
Process hazards also affect workers while they operate within the workshop. The meat processing industry encompasses large machines and equipment used to process incoming meat. Thus, they need more power to cut down carcasses and grind meat into the required products. These technological hazards can pose a serious threat as they have the potential to injure or cause irreparable harm to workers (Tözer et al., 2022). Thus, the misuse of such equipment must be discouraged by providing sufficient instructions and safety practices that can influence the behavior of plant employees and encourage them to handle dangerous equipment more effectively.
The Most Challenging Risk
One of the most significant risks in a meat processing plant is the risk of collateral injuries that occur due to inattention, slips, or trips. The nature of the meat processing plant work environment means that most of the surfaces employees move on are wet and slippery, creating additional hazards that can contribute to falls and injuries (ILO, 2009). At the same time, the situation is complicated by the fact that there may be dangerous equipment around that can damage limbs and create life-threatening conditions. Thus, a slip or trip can develop into a more serious injury due to an environment that creates additional hazards. The risk of collateral injuries is thus challenging, as it can present consequences that significantly affect overall health, both mentally and physically.
The risk of injury due to a slip or trip is significant and can result in many permanent injuries. Therefore, it is necessary to take extraordinary measures to significantly reduce the risk of falling due to slipping. One of the preventative control options is regular risk assessment in the workplace, which can reveal existing hazardous areas (Ong et al., 2021). With the help of this tool, it will be possible to fully implement complex systems in the future that will prevent workers from performing dangerous maneuvers.
Regular inspections of the working environment are a critical element that must be implemented in a meat processing plant. Since the company employs 400 people, this implies extensive work and the creation of a special commission. Members of this team will be responsible for providing ongoing reporting of locations that may become hazardous to workers (HSA, 2023). Fulfillment of this condition will enable management to warn those whose responsibilities include eliminating such complex locations.
Risk Management
To ensure that meat processing plant workers have suitable working conditions in which to perform their duties safely, a strategy for improved risk management is necessary. Implementing sound housekeeping practices is crucial for maintaining a high-quality work environment. The organization of a correct workspace should minimize the negative impact that risks can have on the performance of meat processing plant employees (Jones et al., n.d.). If the problem of slippery floors is temporary, warning workers by posting wet floor signs may be an appropriate solution. They can be placed after surfaces have been washed to make people aware of the possible risks.
In cases where the risk of a wet floor is a constant probability, preventive measures should be more significant. As stated in Graphic 1, one important option is to provide employees with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), which will be designed to reliably protect the skin from external damage resulting from falls (HSA, 2022). Protective equipment also applies to shoes, which must be made of unique, robust materials with grippy soles. This will help prevent any falls by providing better traction where possible. Gloves can also become a crucial element of clothing, as the anti-slip coating on them allows workers to grab onto something if they fall, thereby preventing them from falling to the ground.
Employee training and awareness programs should also be an essential element that can help reduce the risk of falls-related injuries, such as bruises or fractures (Graphic 1). At the meat processing plant, specific methodological recommendations must be developed, which will include providing clear guidelines. They can be a critical element in ensuring that workers follow safety precautions (HSA, 2022).
At the same time, the imperative aspect is not the unification of rules and regulations and their adaptation to a specific plant (Safety, Health and Welfare at Work, 2021). This way, one can utilize all the surrounding objects most effectively. The awareness aspect should focus on ensuring that employees understand the different working conditions of various workshops and that wet floors pose a hazard, as they can lead to risks that could potentially result in serious injury or death.
Installing a barrier environment can help address the risks highlighted above. Permanent barriers and obstacles will safely restrict the movement of workers (Graphic 1). However, this method has some disadvantages, which manifest in the need to restructure the premises, requiring significant investments to implement (HSA, 2022). Changing the layout of traversable locations can be done either relatively quickly or with a complete redesign. Barriers in this way are a more suitable method as they create a pass-safe environment without considerably interfering with the overall layout of the meat processing plant. Limiting the height of rooms where there are frequent problems with slipping can also help prevent injuries, including those from falls.
According to Graphic 1, identification of dangerous places that can create risk situations and threats to workers can be done through constant monitoring, which a particular group of people should provide. Those responsible for workplace safety should produce comprehensive reports to be shared with management, thereby improving their understanding of the situation. The occurrence of a potential risk of injury will thus be known to the employer in advance (HSA, 2022). Collecting and analyzing data regarding workplace space is essential to implement the points described above. Each change made at a meat processing plant must be justified by a specific identified deficiency that can lead to injury.
Cultivating an ethic of safety and compliance is an integral part of implementing a better environment for meatpacking workers. In this way, people will be motivated to comply with all established restrictions to maintain health and remain part of the team. This aspect is crucial because it can serve as a supporting element for corporate ethics (HSA, 2023). The administration must carefully adhere to all safety rules and regulations to set an example for all other employees.
Conclusion
A production facility, such as a meat processing plant, must provide comprehensive safety monitoring to ensure employees have a better and more comfortable workplace. Identified slip and trip hazards due to slippery floors can cause serious injury to people. In this regard, it is necessary to implement special measures such as monitoring, fencing, training, and PPE. These techniques, when implemented into the clinical process, can help reduce the likelihood of injury and improve the quality of work.
References
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HSA. (2023). European Healthy Workplaces Campaign 2023-2025. Health and Safety Authority.
ILO. (2009). Guidelines on occupational safety and health management systems ILO-OSH 2001 SH 2001. International Labour Office.
ILO. (n.d.a). Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems. International Labour Organization.
ILO. (n.d.b). About the ILO. International LabourOrganization.
Jones, C., Hassard, J., Cox, T. & Murphy, P. (n. d.). OSH system at national level – Ireland. OSH.
Ong, K. J., Johnston, J., Datar, I., Sewalt, V., Holmes, D., & Shatkin, J. A. (2021). Food safety considerations and research priorities for the cultured meat and seafood industry. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 20(6), 5421-5448.
Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2021. S.I. No. 619/2021 (2021).
Tözer, K. D., Gürcanlı, G. E., & Yarkıner, Z. (2022). Analysis of workday losses due to falls from scaffoldings in the construction industry. Journal of Construction Engineering, Management & Innovation, 5(1), 15-27.