The process of creating plastic packaging can be quite hazardous. If you're a plastic packaging manufacturer, here are two safety tips you should keep in mind to ensure that your employees' health is not negatively affected by working in your facility.
1. Keep your ventilation system in good working order
Every plastic packaging manufacturer should make a concerted effort to keep their facility's ventilation system in good working order. The reason for this is as follows; in order to create packaging with a specific shape, the plastic needs to be warmed up (as the heat softens it and makes it pliable). When it is warmed, the plastic will usually emit vapours. If employees inhale these vapours, or if these vapours come into contact with their skin and eyes on a daily basis, they could experience significant health problems.
These vapours could, for example, cause a person to develop long-term respiratory problems, and could make their eyes dry and sensitive. It could cause skin rashes. Some plastic vapours can also be carcinogenic. However, the risks associated with heating plastics can be largely eliminated if the ventilation system in your facility is of a high-quality and is in excellent condition, as this system will continually draw the toxic vapours out of the work area and in doing so, prevent employees in this area from being exposed to these vapours.
As such, it is important to establish a maintenance and inspection schedule, so that any issues with your facility's system are dealt with promptly before they start to put your employees' safety at risk.
2. Minimise manual handling of the finished products
Another important step you should take to keep those who work in your facility safe is to minimise the frequency with which they manually handle the plastic packaging after it has been manufactured. The reason for this is as follows; large quantities of plastic packaging can be extremely cumbersome and hard to carry. If an employee who is not very physically strong, or who has pre-existing back or knee problems is forced to manually haul a large collection of heavy packaging around your facility, there is a very good chance that they will end up with an injury.
They may, for example, trip over a step and fall (because the bulky products they are holding are obstructing their view), exacerbate their existing back problems by lifting the packaging incorrectly, or collapse under the weight of the packaging. As such, you should do your best to minimise the amount of manual handling your employees have to do this. This can be done by investing in a few forklifts and stackers.
Share4 October 2018
Welcome to my piece of the internet. My name is John, and I imagine you found this blog while looking for information about industrial or manufacturing concepts. I recently decided to start this blog because I needed somewhere that I could share my research. I recently moved to a small town, and I'm trying to attract factory owners to set up shop there. As a result, I have done an immense amount of research into these fields. I figure the more I know the easier it will be to pitch our town to business owners. Anyway, this blog is a separate project to that. It's just a space where I want to share tips and ideas related to manufacturing. I love writing, and I hope that you enjoy reading my posts. More importantly, I hope they help you make your business more productive. Thanks for reading!