Common Mechanical Hazards in the Workplace & Tools to Prevent Them
What are some common mechanical hazards in the workplace, and how can you prevent them? Read our in-depth guide on machine safety, risk mitigation, and more.
The workplace, especially environments that use heavy and complex machinery, presents many safety challenges. But what are some common mechanical hazards in the workplace, and how can they be effectively prevented? According to data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2.3 million nonfatal workplace injuries occurred in the private sector in 2023. This is why it’s critical to stay on top of OSHA machine safety regulations and mechanical safety best practices.
Whether you’re aiming to protect workers operating heavy equipment or seeking to reduce the risk of common workplace injuries, such as burns or slips, trips, and falls, your first step is to identify common mechanical hazards in the workplace and how you can prevent them.
What Are Mechanical Hazards?
Mechanical hazards are distinctive since they’re directly related to mechanical safety. Any time a worker is operating, maintaining, or interacting with machinery, they are at risk of injury.
Compare this term to a chemical hazard related to any kind of illness or injury caused by chemical ingredients. Mechanical hazards are also distinct from biological hazards, which are related to the spread of illness through airborne transmission or bodily fluids.
What Are Some Common Mechanical Hazards in the Workplace?
Despite technological advances making machines safer and easier to use, they can still cause serious injury. Let’s look at some of the most common injuries mechanical workers experience and how those injuries often occur.
Hazardous Motions
Some machines perform hazardous motions, such as traversing motions or rotating patterns. Workers can be knocked over from a traversing motion or have a limb snagged in a rotating pattern, leading to broken bones or torn skin.
Which parts of machines are the most dangerous to interact with? The rotating pieces are the biggest risk of injury because they can subtly snag hair or loose clothing if a worker isn’t careful, yanking them off their feet and into the machine.
Hazardous Actions
Another vital component of mechanical safety is steering clear of hazardous actions like bending, shearing, or cutting. All it takes to cause a workplace injury is a brief lapse in judgment or a minor mechanical glitch.
Where can injuries occur on mechanical equipment? Depending on the type of equipment, a worker can get trapped, cut, or crushed by moving parts. For example, a worker can accidentally place their hands on the wrong part of an assembly line and get their fingers stuck between two moving rollers.
Another worker could have a lapse in attention while working on a cutting machine, then suddenly be struck by the sharp edge of a moving blade. These accidents can result in cuts, lost fingers, and broken hands.
Machine Entrapment
In extreme cases, a worker can be trapped by a machine and unable to remove themselves.
For example, a lone worker could have a piece of their shirt caught between machine rollers and pulled against the machine. If they’re pulled hard enough, they may experience broken bones or crushed muscles.
Electrical Hazards
A worker trying to repair or maintain a machine runs the risk of electrocution, a serious hazard that can cause burns, loss of consciousness, or death. Malfunctioning or improperly handled machines can also cause electrical hazards.
There are several common electrical hazards in the workplace to be aware of. Running over a power line or damaging a cable is one of the most frequent ways workers are exposed to electrical currents. Another common electrical injury is the mishandling of a live wire.
Confined Spaces
If a worker is confined to a cramped space, they have less room to escape if something goes wrong. Confined spaces put workers at risk of oxygen loss, extreme temperature changes, or toxic atmospheres.
Heat-related fatigue is one of the most unassuming yet dangerous outcomes of a confined space. A 2023 study on workplace safety saw an employee dying from heat-related illness on the job that could have been prevented with better-implemented safety measures.
Ergonomic Hazards
Some of the most serious injuries occur in subtle ways. Ergonomic hazards, like poorly designed workplaces or equipment, can gradually injure workers over time.
A 2019 study from the Bureau of Labor Statistics saw 47,280 cases of ergonomic injury in the workplace. This type of injury is challenging to prevent since it causes gradual wear and tear on the body, such as nerve damage, musculoskeletal strain, and hearing loss.
For example, a worker could gradually develop repetitive motion injuries from operating outdated machinery that puts strain on their wrists and arms.
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Who Is Responsible for Mechanical Equipment Safety?
Employers and employees share responsibility for maintaining mechanical safety. Workplaces become safer when everyone involved closely follows industry standard protocol and maintains reliable daily safety habits.
Employer Responsibility
Employers are primarily responsible for maintaining mechanical safety and ensuring workers always use safe, updated equipment. By not abiding by OSHA guidelines, employers may open themselves up to penalties or lawsuits.
Providing Proper Training
Workers who receive in-depth training are less likely to be injured or become ill. These training periods must be detailed and provide well-rounded materials, such as video demonstrations, licensing, and hands-on experience.
Ensuring OSHA Compliance
With OSHA compliance, businesses drastically decrease their workers’ risk of injury, illness, and death. OSHA provides rigorous standards to cover vital areas like machine guarding, first aid, and employee training.
OSHA machine safety compliance includes the following documentation, certification, and oversight:
- Fire Safety Plan
- Exit Routes
- Hazard Communication Standard
- Emergency Action Plan
- Walking and Working Surfaces
OSHA requires employers to provide personal protective equipment to help employees protect their head, faces, eyes, and extremities. Equipment includes protective clothing, shields, barriers, and respiratory masks.
Implementing Routine Maintenance
Routine maintenance helps employers catch small issues, like minor glitches or missing equipment pieces, before they become major accidents. Employers should establish and enforce a maintenance schedule and take swift action when hazards are reported.
Employee Responsibility
Employers and employees share responsibility for maintaining mechanical safety. Workplaces become safer when everyone involved closely follows industry standard protocol and maintains reliable daily safety habits.
Properly Using PPE
It’s not enough to use PPE while on the job. Employees who want to reduce their risk of injury or illness need to follow strict protocol for using, storing, or disposing of PPE in the workplace.
This category includes highly protective gear like goggles, gloves, respirator masks, hard hats, and work boots.
Employees are responsible for closely following the unique instructions for using each type of PPE and double-checking for any details that could compromise safety. For example, they could perform a fit test for an N95 respirator to ensure there are no leaks that could expose the employee to airborne contaminants.
Another example of testing PPE before use could be inspecting a hard hat for cracks or dents before wearing.
Employees should only wear gear certified by a federal safety entity, such as NIOSH or OSHA. Any unsafe PPE needs to be disposed of immediately and reported to the employer.
However, traditional PPE cannot protect employees from issues such as slips and falls, being injured while alone, or sudden medical emergencies. Digital PPE™ fills in this gap with monitoring and communication tools that keep everyone connected at all times.
Active Reporting
Employees work best when they have strict and clear guidelines for supervising, operating, or maintaining machinery. They’re responsible for reporting any malfunctions or damage to reduce the risk of potential hazards.
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How Employers Can Prevent Injuries and Mitigate Risks
Vigilance, consistency, and technology are your best tools for keeping workplaces safe. Employers have several trustworthy resources at their disposal to reduce the risk of injury, illness, and death.
Emergency Stop Controls
This helpful tool quickly shuts down machinery in the event of an emergency. OSHA requires emergency stop controls to be within easy reach in the event of malfunctioning machinery or a compromised worker.
Worker Training and Awareness
Worker training isn’t a one-and-done scenario. Employees should be refreshed on workplace regulations in case they forget important procedures or grow complacent and neglect to follow established rules.
Ongoing awareness training is also crucial in light of updated safety standards, new certifications, or new equipment.
Restricted Access to Dangerous Machinery
It’s better to be safe than sorry with heavy machinery, so regulating entry points or usage can help reduce workplace injuries. Workplace areas should have restricted zones where only trained and certified employees can enter.
These zones can be outlined or come with additional machine guards to keep unverified workers out.
The Power of Digital Tools for Reducing Workplace Accidents
Safety apps and devices can further reduce mechanical risks by keeping employees connected and informed. Digital PPE provides proactive protective monitoring that alerts first responders or team members in case of an emergency.
What Is Digital PPE™?
Digital PPE provides a technological angle to traditional physical equipment. While hard hats and respirator masks protect employees from injuries or illness, Digital PPE provides monitoring or communication tools for workplace safety.
For example, an employer could equip workers with a portable safety button to keep everyone connected while they work in different areas of the work site. If anyone gets hurt or in the event of an emergency, they can press a button to quickly alert authorities without losing valuable time dialing a number or calling for help.
Becklar’s Digital PPE Solutions: How We Keep Workers Safe
Digital PPE and physical PPE work better together. Helping businesses get the best of both worlds is where Becklar’s solutions come into play.
Staying Connected
When you have a hundred obligations on your plate, it can be easy to overlook routine check-ins. WorkerSafety Pro is our easy solution for staying on top of preventative measures.
Our solution is compatible with iPhones and iWatches to provide scheduled check-ins, fall detections, and emergency alerts. Thanks to a built-in panic button and timely alarms, everyone is kept on the same page and given immediate solutions if mechanical risks endanger workers.
24/7 Monitoring
Workplace accidents don’t wait until you’re ready. Our certified operators provide around-the-clock monitoring to identify medical emergencies and safety threats.
Administrative and Engineering Controls
Administrative work is another area where you can improve workplace safety. When you need an easy way of analyzing or updating your workplace safety information, Becklar’s safety dashboard can help.
Our online dashboard helps you quickly manage your organization’s safety needs with streamlined communication tools. This means you won’t lose valuable (and life-saving) time trying to find the right person to contact in an emergency.
From quickly updating emergency contact information to automated emergency check-in features, we make workplace safety easier than ever.
Promote Workplace Safety With Becklar Solutions
Protecting your team requires understanding common mechanical hazards in the workplace and having reliable strategies to prevent them. When you turn to a mixture of Digital PPE and certified physical PPE, you can significantly reduce your workers’ risk for mechanical injury.
Our Digital PPE gives you a well-rounded perspective on the inner workings of your employees’ work environment. Everything from routinely updated emergency contact information to fast alert buttons empowers workers to work confidently and safely.
Since workplace safety involves so much complex equipment and so many regulations, our tools make your job easier without sacrificing reliability. Becklar’s apps, devices, and dashboards streamline the risk mitigation process to keep employers and employees on the same page.
Book a demo with us today to craft a safer, more efficient work