Norwich Union is urging manufacturers to be aware of their responsibilities and the dangers of working with machinery, as part of its latest Simply Safety campaign.
The manufacturing industry covers a wide range of sectors and reported over 27,000 work related injuries last year.1
Phil Grace, liability risk manager for Norwich Union, says: "In various manufacturing industries, a number of common tasks such as drilling, shaping and cutting materials involving the use of machinery, can put employees at risk of injury."
Machinery in the workplace is governed by the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 1998, which requires that machinery should be suitable for its purpose, properly maintained and safe to clean and use.
According to Grace: "Selecting the right machinery can help businesses reduce incidents. When buying new machinery it is important to choose equipment that is suitable for a particular job, which has been properly installed to reduce the risk of injury.
"It is vital to ensure that the supplier (or installer) has given you information on how the machine works and its safety features. Such instructions can be supplied with the machine as a handbook or manual, or for special purpose or more custom-built machines the correct and safe method of use should be demonstrated by the supplier," says Grace.
"Ensuring machinery is only used by people who have received adequate training and information is also crucial."
Grace warns, "Machinery must be properly maintained to meet PUWER legislation and ensure operator safety. If it is not maintained and cleaned regularly then it will not work in the way it is intended to; blockages can occur and accidents are likely to happen."
"Taking simple precautions such as switching all machinery off before cleaning takes place can also reduce accidents. Too often short cuts are made to save time, which can be dangerous."
Grace also advises that machinery should be accompanied by safety measures such as warnings to highlight any potential danger, as well as protective devices such as machine guards.
"Serious accidents can occur where guards, for example, are either inadequate for their purpose or have been removed.
"All machine guards should be checked regularly, and certain types of machinery such as power presses, hoists, cranes and compressors should be inspected to ensure they are in good order and that any safety devices are operating correctly.
"This can be done by an accredited engineering inspection body that will carry out the necessary inspections, mark the equipment and report on any defects found," he says.
As part of the campaign, a downloadable guide on machinery is available at www.nurs.co.uk/
Norwich Union Risk Services provides support for machinery safety risk assessments and can deliver tailored machinery safety training courses at clients' premises. Visit www.nurs.co.uk/ for more information.
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Download Simply Safety: The Wheels of Industry - Machinery (PDF 208KB)
For further information, please contact:
Alex Anderson at Staniforth on 0161 919 8021 or Sally Leeman at Norwich Union on 01603 684225/ 07789 270677.
Notes to editors:
1 www.hse.gov.uk/manufacturing/index.htm
Norwich Union is the UK's largest general insurer with a market share of around 15%, with a focus on insurance for individuals and small businesses.
It is a leading provider of life, pensions and investment products and one of the largest financial adviser (FA) providers. FAs provide over 70% of the company's long-term savings business in the UK.
Norwich Union's news releases and a selection of images are available from Aviva's internet press centre at www.aviva.com/media