Think about safety with tools for your ‘Go for Zero’-strategy

Throughout the world, more and more industrial companies are thinking hard about increased safety and adopt a ‘Go for Zero’-strategy, showing their ambition to reduce work accidents to an absolute minimum, if not banning them completely.

No more work accidents is both a noble and ambitious goal and is great corporate social responsibility, considering the massive impact a work accident can have on people’s lives and on society as a whole. Accident prevention is also good business management as it reduces lost working hours due to injuries sustained and the number of times production is interrupted after an accident.

In 2009, the European Union* counted over 2.8 million serious work accidents, each one responsible for more than 3 days of absence from work. That’s 1657 serious accidents per 100 000 people employed. Wounds and superficial injuries account for 34% of all injuries, closely followed by dislocations, sprains and strains (30%). Brady Corporation, a worldwide manufacturer of safety & facility identification solutions, discusses a number of tools used by companies around the world in their Go for Zero strategies to reduce these injuries.

Reduce maintenance accidents
In a large number of industries, accidents and risk can be greatly reduced by implementing a lockout/tagout programme. Lockout/tagout is used to shut down and secure the energy flow to machinery that is being serviced. Each maintenance worker locks a personal padlock to a device that prevents the activation of machinery he is working on. It is possible to write or engrave the maintenance worker’s name on every lock and to identify why the lock is in place with the help of a tag. All locks can be colour coded to show the difference between various maintenance teams, or even inhouse and external teams. Software is available to manage, print and communicate the safest procedure for your machinery which is best communicated at the point of need, on the machine itself. Every lockout/tagout solution, including the lockout device, padlocks, tags and distribution centers, can be customised according to company’s lockout/tagout policy, safety and productivity strategy.

Give warning
Not all your employees are aware of the risks some of your machinery exposes them too. If they could be warned at the point of need, a great number of accidents can be avoided. The International Standards Organisation has worked hard to present a global safety symbol language in ISO 7010, aimed at maximum recognisability for safety signs. Materials and adhesives exist to create durable signs that can resist the harshest chemicals, UV exposure or extreme temperatures.

Fluids, chemicals or other substances flow through many industrial facilities. Often the pipes these substances flow in are marked using a colour code. But colour codes differ from country to country, even from company to company. Clearly mentioning the substance name and the dangers it poses, by using the GHS/CLP symbols for example, can help employees act faster whenever a breach in one or more pipes occurs.

What is true for machinery and pipes, also applies to every tool. A great number of forklift accidents can still be linked to forklifts that were not fully functional at the time of the accident. The same goes for employees falling from ladders or scaffolding. Customisable inserts and holders can be attached to any tool showing a tool inspection history to all employees, including the date the next inspection is due. Whenever a tool does not pass its inspection, the insert is removed leaving a clear ‘do not use’ message on the holder. With these systems it becomes very easy to communicatie which tools have been inspected and are fit for use, thereby reducing accidents with faulty or worn tools.

Walkways and traffic lanes
Area marking can be an important tool to reduce injury, enabling companies to clearly indicate safe walking paths through production facilities, danger zones around machines, forklift traffic lanes or steps, railings and other relevant areas. Many companies still use paint, but durable adhesive tape and die-cut shapes are also available in various colours and allow for faster reorganisation to accomodate new machinery on the production floor. Photoluminescent area marking can be an even more useful addition to a Safety Way Guidance System, as it will glow in the dark to facilitate evacuation when an entire plant goes dark.

Prevent leaks from spreading
Imagine a coworker walking through the production area with a large toolbox in both hands, unable to see a spreading leak on the floor. The coworker slips, falls and gets hit by the full weight of the toolbox on his chest or head. It all started with just a few drops, leaking every hour from one of your machines. Polypropylene rolls, socs, rugs and pads exist to stop leaks from spreading. They are lightweight, easily manageable and clean, unlike classical granular products, and can even be used to prevent leaks from spreading before the leak starts to engulf your workfloor. Adsorbing up to 20 times their own weight in fluids, these products are also very economical in terms of waste disposal costs. Brady even developped a special line of spill control made out of recycled materials with the same fluid adsorbing power.

A great number of tools exist on the market today to reduce work accidents and help companies succeed in ‘Go for Zero’-strategies. Work accidents put a high toll on people’s lives and those of their families, and they present a huge cost to both society and industries. Sound investments in safety, tailored to your business sites, are therefore both noble and good for business. So if you’re thinking safety, think Brady and contact us for best practices in companies, or more information on these tools via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or www.bradyeurope.com/safetyexpert.

*EU statistics, not including Greece and Northern Ireland

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