Safety is a serious topic that is common among many industries, but perhaps even more so at manufacturing and industrial sites where workplace injuries are a leading cause of lost work time. Having safety protocols in place is one way to prevent accidents, but they are only as effective as the people who know and use them.
A quality contract security services provider can add value to manufacturing and industrial sites’ safety programs in a number of ways:
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Safety Ambassadors - Incorporating the security team into your organization’s safety committee encourages collaboration and demonstrates the importance of working together to understand and achieve safety program goals.
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Job Safety Analysis - Conduct JSAs at new sites with periodic assessments thereafter. The security team can assess the environment, working conditions and responsibilities, identify areas of concern (e.g., mailboxes positioned on the wrong side of a truck gate, uneven pavement or breaches in the fence line) and make recommendations for addressing these safety hazards.
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Security Maintains Safety - Look for tasks that dovetail with security and provide cost savings. Manufacturing and industrial sites have many regulations that vary by sector. Fire extinguisher checks, eye wash station checks, and employee badging are some examples in which your security team can assist in maintaining regulatory compliance.
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Identify Hazards Proactively - Security officers are extra “eyes and ears” at your facility. They can help identify safety hazards that might otherwise go unnoticed and report them before they cause accidents or require expensive clean-up measures.
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Technology Enhances Reporting - Security officers can use mobile technology while on patrol to create incident reports as soon as potential hazards are spotted, allowing for immediate response and lowered risk of accidents.
Safety is critical to the successful operations of manufacturing and industrial sites, and a quality security team enhances critical safety programs, creating safer, more secure and cost-efficient working conditions.
About the Author
91Ƶ Fire Life Safety Team