In any factory or manufacturing environment it is crucial that safety procedures are followed to avoid injury or fatality. This can be the way in which the machinery is operated and also by wearing the correct protective equipment for the job.

Depending on the plant that is being used, there may be safety guards in operation which are supposed to protect the operator from harm when using the machine. Under no circumstances should the machine be operated without all of the safety guards in position. It is actually illegal to tamper with safety guards on any engineering plant and anyone doing so could be liable to prosecution. Any faults on machinery should be reported to the line manager or supervisor.

Safety equipment should be worn when undertaking hazardous tasks such as handling sharp materials or dangerous chemicals. This may include gloves, safety glasses and respiratory equipment. Safety footwear with reinforced toe protectors and specialist soles are required to be worn in certain engineering environments where there is a risk of injury to the feet from falling objects. Likewise head protection should be worn when there is a danger of items falling from height.

To protect the employees’ hearing in a noisy factory setting, ear defenders are obliged to be worn which are available in a variety of grades depending on the level of noise present.