Mechanical Equipment Injuries in Small Manufacturing Businesses. Knowledge, Behavioral, and Management Issues

Abstract

This paper presents findings from an extensive study into factors that impact upon the high rate of injuries due to mechanical equipment, especially in small manufacturing firms. Issues relating to knowledge of health and safety issues and to management practices have been shown to be extremely important with regards to safety in small businesses. Knowledge and awareness of hazards were found to be relatively low and few respondents, especially managers, had received adequate safety training. Managers did not regard the identification and control of risks as a priority. Workplaces generally lacked effective safety management procedures such as safety rules and regulations, procedures for recording and learning from accidents, and clearly defined responsibilities for safety. Some issues requiring further investigation, and some recommendations for improving safety in small businesses, are presented.

Unions in small- and medium-sized enterprises: A family factor perspective

“…There are various barriers to effective implementation of health and safety initiatives in SMEs: social (informal relations between employees and employer and between colleagues) (De Troyer and Le Lay, 2007), regulatory (limited implementation or absence of control methods) (Gardner et al, 1999), professional (limited health and safety knowledge and competencies) (Antonsson, 1997) and labour organizational (weak unionization and lack of representation) (De Troyer and Le Lay, 2007). In the latter context, SME employees are often reluctant to become union representatives, thus making representation of collective interests difficult (De Troyer and Le Lay, 2007).…”

Causation of Severe and Fatal Accidents in the Manufacturing Sector

“…If the contact is Being trapped or crushed, the most likely causes are Inappropriate design, maintenance and installation of equipment as suggested by earlier research [25,39].…”

“…Breakage, bursting, splitting, slipping, fall, collapse of materials non-slight accidents where the worker is Struck by an object are likely to be caused by Lack of training and information, whereas if the contact is Being trapped, the accidents are likely to be caused by inappropriate Signage and information [25]. McGrath recently analyzed the effectiveness of signage in preventing accidents with machinery [37].…”

“…Those expected causes are the most frequently identified causes. For example, if the accident mechanism of being trapped by a machine is usually related to causes such as not signaling lockout of machines [25], preventive action should be prioritized to eliminate or control that possibility. In the same way that a safety practitioner decides what the most dangerous risks are, a safety manager should implement and enforce the preventive actions related to the most frequent causes of each assessed risk.…”

A Randomized, Controlled Intervention of Machine Guarding and Related Safety Programs in Small Metal-Fabrication Businesses

“…2 There is a general lack of knowledge about effective strategies to reduce hazardous exposures to workers in small business establishments. [17][18][19][20] A review of articles from different regions of the world indicates the absence of health and safety programs for small businesses in both developed and developing nations. This includes a lack of well-evaluated and cost-effective tools to assist owners and workers in small business establishments, as well as a general lack of safety and health resources within specific places of employment.…”