Our advisors regularly visit engineering workshops and factories to conduct health and safety compliance inspections and safety tours on behalf of the occupier. Whether as part of a proactive compliance programme or in response to a workplace incident, understanding our inspection focus can help employers maintain a safe and healthy working environment.
General Conditions and Housekeeping: Will vary from clean workshops to those where machines are leaking fluids, emitting fumes, and swarf is allowed to accumulate on the floor. General tidiness is often a good indication of how well other issues are being managed.
Machinery Safety: Should all be well maintained and have the correct safeguards. It should also only be used by those trained and competent to do so. We will look for evidence to prove this.
Many serious accidents that occur in engineering workshops could be avoided if the wearing of gloves was prevented whilst working near rotating machinery such as drills and lathes. In addition, when operating engineering machinery avoid wearing loose/baggy clothing, long hair (or it should be tied back or appropriate hair net worn), or jewellery (including rings) should be avoided when operating engineering machinery.
Appropriate clothing and the use of suitable and compatible Personal Protective Equipment (PPE and Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) and its continued suitability will be looked at when conducting a workshop safety inspection.
Planned Preventative Maintenance: PUWER inspections and machinery/tool servicing should be conducted on a periodic basis, some of which are statutory obligations others manufacturer stipulations. In any case a record of the service inspection carried out and the next one due should be recorded and available for review.
Management and Supervision: Supervisors and managers should ensure that safe working practices are followed, and action taken if unsafe practices are observed.
Inspectors will also look at other safety issues, such as work at height and mechanical transport. There should also be evident controls of health risks arising from working with paints, sprays, dusts, fumes, vapours, metalworking fluids, welding, manual handling, noise, and hazardous substances.
Contact your Principal Advisor directly or click here to arrange an inspection at your premises.
