In March of 2015, a maintenance worker was killed while working at a furniture manufacturing plant's frame shop.
According to OSHA, its investigators found the company violated nine safety standards, including one which one could have prevented the tragedy. OSHA said H.M. Richards’ failure to provide required electrical safety training to Reece. Had he been properly trained, OSHA contends, Reece would have known the equipment he worked with was still “live” and contained enough electricity to kill him.
Training
Proper training in any business is not only the law but it can and does save lives. This particular company was fined and cited for numerous violations including seven serious violations which means that these violations can result in death. And while being fined is one thing, it is a given that this company will be sued heavily by the family members of the deceased worker.
Scheduling
One problem that some maintenance managers find is that when it is busy, training can get pushed aside. Now of course not every facility does this but it does happen and one way to ensure that you always make time for proper training and safety precautions is with a CMMS system from Maintenance Care. How this helps is that by being able to schedule work orders, tasks, and preventative maintenance, you stay on top of other issues that need addressing such as training.
Education
By knowing exactly what is being done at what time of the day, it is easier to fit in a training session or schedule certain tasks that relate to the education of the employee. It doesn't matter if it is a new employee or an experienced one because new equipment means more training – even with your novice staff. And it goes without saying that preventative maintenance on your equipment creates a safer environment for employees and visitors to your facility.
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There is a saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, or something of that nature, and this is especially true when it comes to the safety of your staff and a visitors to your work area. Had proper training measures been in place at this particular company, the death of the maintenance worker may not have happened. While we can't always prevent an accident due to employee violations, you can certainly prevent accidents due to your own training and safety measures in your facility.
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