Typical Safety Concerns in a Food Processing Plant

If there’s anything we’ve learned in life, it’s that we don’t want anything weird happening with our food, whether at a restaurant or facility handling our future groceries. Learning about the typical safety concerns in a food processing plant lets you know what goes on behind closed doors.

Handling Dangerous Chemicals

Contamination is one of the biggest fears for all food processing plants. The concern for the food is paramount, but so is the well-being of people working on the ground floor.

When the dangerous chemicals in disinfectants, sanitizers, and detergents get into the food supply, there’s no telling the damage they could cause. What seems like a minor error on the floor could lead to widespread illness and a monumental loss of revenue due to inevitable recalls.

Working around poultry, you must be overly cautious because many birds are prone to have trace amounts of biological waste that could have devastating results.

Wearing PPE Around Heavy Machinery

Working with large machinery like sanitary food-grade conveyors can put workers in danger every day. Losing control of a machine could lead to a serious injury like an amputation. Every worker must wear the mandated PPE when they’re working to minimize the risk involved. A floor manager that’s being lackadaisical about regulating the constant wearing of PPE could be at fault if something does happen.

Preventing Falls and Strains

Any warehouse or factory job puts its workers at an ergonomic risk. This work often involves repetitive motions that put a strain on your body. Doing a job like this for 40 or more hours a week puts people at a high risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders. Thus, develop work areas that help the workers operate without pain.

Also, frequent slips and falls occur because of dangerous working conditions. Since cleanliness is a high priority, slippery surfaces after mopping or washing can also exist. These can cause someone to tumble. Prevent accidents by clearly marking wet or otherwise slick areas so that workers proceed with caution.

Keeping the Noise Down

A food processing floor can be deafening due to the machines, forklifts, and air ventilation system overhead. Even if you’re constantly on high alert, you may not be able to hear someone coming your way. It may be impossible to eliminate all the sounds in a food processing plant, but you could do your best to drown them out with earplugs, assuming you could still hear if there’s an emergency.

Recognizing the typical safety concerns in a food processing plant lets the people in charge be aware of the dangers that go on daily. With this information, they can develop practices that keep everyone out of harm’s way.