Each day, hundreds of thousands of workers head into factories for their nine to five shifts. They work long and hard, producing items that will be in every home and business across the country. And every day, it seems that these workers are risking their lives. A recent report has revealed that manufacturing has one of the highest mortality rates compared to any other industry. Over one hundred deaths were reported and recorded last year. You might be wondering how this could be. These workers aren’t walking into a war-torn country. They spend their day in a controlled environment that should have a high level of safety. But it seems things are slipping through the cracks. So what are the dangers of working in a factory like this?
Environmental Issues
It’s likely that the high mortality rate is at least partially caused by environmental conditions. It shouldn’t be the case but in some factories, owners aren’t doing enough to keep the shop floor, safe. When you’re chopping wood or cutting metal, dust floods the air. If this occurs, it can get into your lungs and even stick to your clothes. You can take it home with you and then it affects your family’s health as well. There’s a simple solution and that’s to install dust collection pipes. But it seems factory owners are still rolling the dice with their employee’s health and cutting corners. Due to this, it’s not uncommon for factory workers to enter the hospital with breathing difficulties.
Heavy Items And Human Error
We imagine that mortality rate is also caused by what’s expected from these workers. Workers in manufacturing plants are often lifting heavy materials. One slip or trip and it could very well be game over. In this example, it’s human error more than anything else playing its part. We underestimate just how dangerous these jobs are. These factories aren’t quite as safe as you might have been led to believe.
Bending Rules And Regulations
A factory should be the place where health and safety regulations are at their highest point. But again, this isn’t always true. In fact, businesses would rather reduce health and safety levels if it means work is completely more rapidly. Manufacturers are being pushed to cut costs where they can. Part of these cost cutting schemes could be endangering the lives of their workers.
Malfunctioning Machinery
Lastly, there’s the issue of malfunctioning machinery and poor equipment. It’s not uncommon for businesses to cut corners in manufacturing by using, older, cheaper equipment. This isn’t as reliable and may be nearing the point where it’s dangerous to use. But rather than replace it, business owners keep this equipment on the shop floor. It will only be replaced if there is an accident, at which point it’s too late. The damage has already been done. Manufacturers should be getting their equipment checked regularly to make sure it’s still in good working order.
It seems clear that more needs to be done to protect the workers in our factories. Unfortunately, that responsibility largely falls on the shoulders of the business owner.
