Lone Worker Safety in the Manufacturing Industry

24/7 personal safety solutions for the manufacturing industry

Manufacturing safety standards are extremely important, a detail point hammered home by the fact that every year an average of 22 workers will die in accidents at work due to safety issues in the manufacturing industry.

As well as this, the HSE reports that there are, on average, more than 3,000 reports of major injuries and over 4,000 reports of injuries that will lead to staff absences of seven days or more.

Therefore, if you also consider the number of workdays lost by employees due to poor mental health, often because of ineffectual safety standards in manufacturing, then it becomes abundantly clear how vital good safety measures in the manufacturing industry can be.

Understanding safety hazards in the manufacturing industry

Many manufacturing workplace accidents can be prevented, but only if safety in the manufacturing industry is taken seriously. It’s a high-risk sector but are you, as a health and safety professional, fully aware of the safety hazards in the manufacturing industry?

Manufacturing risks:

• Working at height or in confined spaces
• Risk of fire or explosions
• Dangerous plant machinery
• Large heavy vehicles
• Unpredictable environment, e.g. uneven, or wet and slippery surfaces
• Hazardous chemicals
• Lone worker security
• Noise

It's important to be aware of workplace hazards and how to spot them.

Another big concern is the environmental risk in manufacturing. Meaning there’s an increased chance of an employee becoming incapacitated via a slip, trip or fall. If an incident such as this happens whilst an employee is lone working, then there’s an increased chance of a serious incident occurring. Every second counts in an emergency so having super-quick support is essential.

There are no hard and fast rules for safety in the manufacturing industry, but comprehensive training will ensure your workforce is fully prepared.

Are there lone workers in the manufacturing industry?

Whether you work in repetitive manufacturing, producing electronic goods or in process manufacturing producing food and drink, you’ll be aware of how busy the working environment can be. Despite this, there are going to be instances of lone working in any manufacturing business. For example, working alone on part of a busy/noisy production line, working in a large warehouse where the sheer scale of the premises means employees will be alone for certain periods of the day or working unsocial hours where you might be solely responsible for opening and/or closing the building.

How many lone workers are attacked everyday?

A British Crime Survey indicated that, in the UK, as many as 150 lone workers are attacked every day. That's 54,750 each year.

If you’re unsure of when your employers may be lone working then carry out a regular weekly inspection, perhaps ask your workforce to use a checklist to note down instances of lone working. All these things will support best practices in the manufacturing industry and ensure your employees follow any rules you have in place. These rules should be documented in a comprehensive policy.

Manufacturing health and safety policy

It’s important the health and safety policy for your manufacturing company is up-to-date and covers lone working.

More information on lone worker policy and access to a free example lone worker policy template.

How can lone worker support protect manufacturing employees?

Lone worker/personal safety devices or apps are increasingly being introduced to improve safety in the manufacturing industry. Protecting your workforce from risk and ensuring a rapid emergency response is a vital part of manufacturing health and safety.

Deploying a SoloProtect personal safety device with 24/7 emergency support and man-down alarm, will improve manufacturing workplace safety and provide rapid support in the event of an emergency.

Lone worker devices for manufacturing workers

SoloProtect delivers simple-to-use, discreet personal safety solutions for manufacturing workforces.

With 24/7 emergency support and a Ready2Talk ® companion service, support is a press of a button away.

Every SoloProtect solution comes with access to SoloProtect Insights - the online platform for comprehensive metrics and ongoing management of your solution.

Devices designed for health and safety in the manufacturing industry

SoloProtect personal devices are designed for the daily rigours of manufacturing work:

• Built for loud manufacturing plants

SoloProtect devices are more than equipped for noisy manufacturing environments. If you activate an alert on your dedicated device, (or mobile phone if using SoloProtect Mobile) you will receive a distinct vibration pattern to reassure you your alert is active.

• Tough on dirt and water

Wet and unpredictable manufacturing plants can be tricky places for electrical equipment. No such issues for the SoloProtect range of devices. They can be used inside and out, and will not be affected by the elements or dusty or wet conditions.

• Locates and communicates

Geolocation,cellular technology (4G), and invaluable Check-In messages ensure we can communicate with users and pinpoint their location whenever they need support.

• Compact but strong

Our fob-style devices are ideal for the manufacturing sector because they’re small and lightweight but pack a punch. They come with a range of attachments so you can wear them on your belt, attach them to your keyring or lanyard, or simply put them in your pocket.

If you’re looking for something a little more discreet then one of our SoloProtect ID badge-style devices is for you.

Learn more about our lone worker solutions.

Business Case Support

You can read more about the benefits of investing in a personal safety or lone working solution for your manufacturing workers in our Business Case Support document - available on the Knowledge Base. 

Book a demo

Book a demonstration of SoloProtect’s lone worker security solution for manufacturing workers.