Top Causes of Accidents in Factories

Although there is little concrete data relating to accidents in South African factories, the government has recently estimated that accidents in the work place cost the nation an incredible R18 billion per annul!
Clearly the single-most dangerous element in any factory, be it food processing or the manufacture of furniture, is the use and subsequent cleaning of heavy machinery. Circular saws, lifting apparatus, engines, power transmission and even conveyor belts can be lethal, both during operation and whilst undergoing the daily spring clean.
This dangerous and often life-threatening anomaly attached to factory hygiene has become a major headache for the departments of labour in most countries in the world; so much so that studies have been conducted on how to improve the efficacy of cleaning without accelerating the incidence of accidents.
One of the major causes of accidents in factories is the outdated trend of cleaning by hand, a trend that is no longer necessary considering the great leaps that have been made in the industrial cleaning sector. In fact, using rags or brushes can exacerbate the vulnerability of the factory worker by becoming stuck or entangled with the inner workings of the heavy machinery.
Part of the problem is factory bosses opting for the perceived cheaper manual alternative in an effort to boost their profit margins; a choice that can prove deadly to both the worker and the company's bank balance as they could be held liable for all costs relating to the accident should negligence be proven.
In the era of industrial cleaning equipment where high-pressure steam cleaners and high-power vacuum cleaners can do the job a lot more effectively by reaching areas of grime and dirt impossible to reach by hand, it seems incredible that factory owners and management staff do not subscribe to these innovative, cost effective and efficient cleaning solutions that will protect their hapless workers.
Accidents also occur on a regular basis when hot or toxic materials or liquids used in the manufacturing process spill or splash on the worker. An easy and relatively cheap solution to this dilemma is to ensure each worker is adequately protected by suitable gloves, overalls, boots, protective eye gear and even hard hats - not too difficult to facilitate, yet sorely lacking in many South African factories today.