Tag Archives: productivity

General Safety Issues

Material Handling Safety Tips that Increase Productivity

Written by Liam Smith

When it comes to the issue of safety, most entrepreneurs focus on its effect on the wellbeing of their employees or the fear of a potential lawsuit that would come from an accident. What they fail to realize is the fact that safety tips and productivity tips end up being one and the same. With that in mind and without further ado, here are seven reasons why this is usually the case.

  • Ensuring that the load is secure

This simple safety tip is there to ensure that there’s no fall risk when it comes to materials that you’re handling, however, it also comes with a hidden productivity perk, as well. You see, if the material falls down to ground you’ll have to pick it back up and chances are that this won’t be as easy. Usually, materials come in containers or are on pallets that are supposed to make their picking up (for instance, with a lift fork) a lot easier. Picking it up from the ground may take more work and more time, thus causing a decline in productivity. Also, there’s the risk of damaging the material in question which causes a massive problem on its own. Therefore, the security of the load makes all the difference.

  • Compare the weight of the cargo to the carrying capacity of the equipment

One of the biggest losses of productivity comes from your plans to cut corners. In theory, the more you pack on the forklift, tow tug or a trolley, the quicker you’ll get done, however, what happens if the equipment crumbles under all that burden. In that case, you would either have to repair it or replace it, both of which take time and money. Other than this, the risk of a serious injury drastically increases this way, which means that, once again, safety and productivity go hand in hand.

  • The safest speed

Previously, we discussed the urge to wrap things up as quickly as possible. Now, there are scenarios in which this manifests in overburdening the carrying equipment and those in which people speed up in order to get things done. Rushing is one of the essential ingredients in a recipe for disaster. Even on foot, a person is less stable, less focused and less careful when they’re in a rush. Imagine just how much more dangerous it all is when a person is behind dangerous machinery.

  • Restricting access to hazardous materials

Another tip you need to keep in mind is that restricting access to some parts of your production facility with the help of useful safety barriers may also influence productivity. First of all, it creates optimal pathways within the complex, meaning that there’s no loss in downtime caused by an inefficient itinerary. Second, it eliminates the risk of an injury in a scenario where such a thing would increase with proximity to poorly stacked, mishandled or overall loosely fastened materials. Finally, it reduces the chance that someone who is undertrained will tamper with items that should be off-limits to them. Sure, this barrier is not an impassable obstacle yet it might dissuade your staff from accessing restricted areas.

  • Making sure that the person is trained for the job

Perhaps the most important safety/productivity tip of them all is to ensure that the person is trained for the job at hand. You see, an employee who failed to undergo a basic training lacks the knowledge to handle these materials properly. This means that other than being a risk for themselves and others, they also lack the knowledge on how to handle these materials with the greatest efficiency. By increasing the efforts that you put into your training process, you can make your workplace more efficient as well as make sure that the place is a lot safer for work.

  • Clear visibility

One of the main reasons why accidents happen is due to the limited field of vision of the person operating the machinery/handling the materials. The problem with this lies in the fact that a person might also injure others and cause damage to your assets. This is why you need to carefully examine the entire material-handling process and create an ideal scenario in which this leads to a productivity increase. Overall, what you need to do is make sure that the person operating the equipment has clear visibility of their surroundings. The way in which this affects productivity is more than obvious.

  • Make sure you leave everything in its place

The last thing you need to understand is the fact that if everything is not in its place it’s A) harder for you to find it and B) a safety risk. Think about it, ideally, everyone would look where they’re going all the time but chances are that people will sometimes govern themselves by their instinct and act as if they know where everything is, even when not watching. While this is unsafe, it’s something that you’ll never be able to completely root out.

In conclusion

    At the end of the day, an injury will also cause an employee to be absent from work, which will cause a substitute to fill in for them. Keep in mind that this substitute is, most likely, not skilled and experienced enough for the job at hand, which causes additional problems further down the line. Overall, handling materials in a safe and proper way are the optimal course both when it comes to safety and productivity.

Author Bio 

Liam Smith is a young and aspiring Australian blogger with a passion for everything related to home, and offline business He has a B.Sc. in Interior design and is an avid reader.
https://twitter.com/LiamSmith2034
https://www.linkedin.com/in/liamsmith2034

General Safety Issues, Health Issues

MENTAL SAFETY IN THE WORKPLACE (GUEST POST)

 
Safety in the workplace is paramount. Too often we focus on physical safety. We must not let the emotional and mental safety of our coworkers and employees fall to the wayside. Depending on the workplace, we might need to pay more attention. As much as all companies might want to deny it, some work places are more likely to lead to depression. Flipping burgers, sitting in front of the computer, or burrowing down in a cubicle can be mind-numbingly boring. These types of jobs are repetitive and are often incredibly alienating. One minute blends into another, and another, and another. It’s all too easy to succumb to the black hole of depression. Especially if our personal lives are not what they should be.

Depression in the Workplace

Depression is a serious factor that could affect the safety and productivity of the workplace. It’s so prevalent that we see instances of depression in our situational comedies like Friends and The Office. In “Performance Review” Michael Scott, the self-involved manager, pulls out a suggestion box that hasn’t been touched in a year to impress his boss. One of the first suggestions that he pulls out is “we need better outreach for employees fighting depression.” Michael breezes over this suggestion as a joke. “Nobody in here is suffering from depression,” he says. 

Employees Do Suffer From Depression

Studies have shown that up to 6% of employees experience depression every year, so depression is a little more serious than Michael Scott would believe. The episode of the office, as blasé as it is about the topic of depression, demonstrates how we must help employees who are suffering from depression. When Michael asks what joker wrote the suggestion, a coworker supplies the information. “Tom? He worked in accounting up until about a year ago,” she explained. When no one recognized the name, she pantomimes shooting herself. Suicide is a very serious possibility of depression in the workplace. 

Beyond the worst case scenario, depression can have other negative effects on the workplace. Depression leads to

  • Aches and pains which could distract employees from giving their best.
  • Easily irritated employees who might complain more often. 
  • Unproductivity caused by listlessness. (Studies suggest that around 18 work days are lost each year).
  • An increase in the number of sick days requested. (Studies suggest that around 8 work days are lost each year).

Pin Pointing Cases of Depression

In order to prevent depression or help employees, we must first be able to identify if an employee is suffering from depression. Here is a list of possible symptoms to look out for. 

  • Employees seem to carry a pervasive stress, even when doing simple tasks.
  • Vocal self-loathing.
  • Loss of energy. 
  • Inability to sleep or oversleeping.
  • Loss of appetite or overeating.
  • Anger. 
  • Reckless behavior or an increased dependence on drugs or alcohol.

Helping Employees with Depression

Depression is such a problem because only about 57% of employees suffering from depression seek mental health treatments. While companies and employees cannot forcefully restore employees to mental health, but they can go a long way to ensure that employees receive the help that can put them on the right path. Here are a few suggestions to kick depression out of your office. 

  • Encourage employees to visit human resources if they need help personally or they believe a coworker might be depressed.
  • Offer health insurance that cover psychologist, psychiatrist, doctors, and medicine.
  • Have mandatory seminars about depression and how to deal with it. 
  • If the work is mind-numbing, drudging, or repetitive, give employees frequent breaks and encourage employees to go off task every once in a while.

As a company or employee, helping others cope with depression may not seem like your business, but it should be. Both companies and employees can benefit from a depression-free workplace. Employees have a more stable place to work. Companies receive more productive, stable, and safe employees.  

Author’s Bio: 

“This article provided by the people at Bennerotte & Associates” and Samantha Hopkins”
  
Note: Thank you, Samantha for this excellent article that hopefully will help workers who know someone suffering from depression find help, and give them the support they need. pb