The constant discussions about the competitiveness of companies have revolved around several distant elements of production with few exceptions. Take this opportunity to address one of the key points that can be considered a characteristic of the competitive company. Industrial safety and equipment maintenance.
It may seem strange that these issues are treated from this point of view in this section, however it should not be the case, since if we start to consider that the costs that damage the equipment entails due to mishandling or lack of maintenance has to be assumed the company in the shortest time possible, then we see the importance of practice.
On the other hand and perhaps more important is the correct assembly and application of industrial safety to avoid accidents among employees, since this type of trauma will affect the company in many aspects, such as losing the worker and with him his experience and loss of time for order fulfillment. In short, there are many critical points.
Industrial Safety: is in charge of the study of standards and methods aimed at guaranteeing a production that contemplates the minimum risks of both the human factor and the elements (equipment, tools, buildings, etc.).
Within the elements of industrial safety there is one of capital importance and that is related to fire risks. First of all, remember that for a fire to break out you must have oxygen, heat and fuel.
There are four categories of fires, identified by letters like this:
- Class A: produced from solid fuels Class B: produced from liquid fuels Class C: produced from energized electrical equipment, conductors or networks Class D: produced by metals such as magnesium, titanium, sodium etc.
To counteract these types of conflagrations, we have fire extinguishers, which are portable devices specially designed to fight incipient fires. They are of three types: cooling, coating and suffocating.
The five most used types of fire extinguishers are, firstly those of water, others those of foam, chemical powder, those of carbon dioxide and finally the so-called universal. The important thing is that they are located in a strategic place, but not in the same source of the possible fire.
As we mentioned at the beginning, another of the factors of care is the occupational accident, which is understood as the unforeseen and sudden event that occurs due to or on the occasion of work and that produces a disturbing organic injury, examples of these are: falls, blows, compressions etc.
The source of accidents is identified in the first place to the human element who due to negligence, ignorance, overwork, excess of self-confidence, lack of interest or inattention, haste, unnecessary movements, poor vision, poor hearing, socio-economic problems, etc. You make mistakes that put your physical integrity at risk.
Another focus where accidents are generated is defined by working conditions. Poor lighting, poor ventilation, uncleanliness, lack of order in the workplace, etc.
The experience of many companies has resulted in a list of the main personal actions that cause accidents.
- Use faulty tools and equipment Use equipment or material in operation for which they are not indicated Clean and lubricate moving equipment Use hands instead of tools Omit the use of work clothes, wear loose hair, long sleeves, watches, rings, high-heeled shoes Adopting unsafe postures Standing under suspended loads Making jokes, rude jokes, clowning around, promoting slips or falls Do not immobilize electrical controls when machinery is being repaired Making safety devices inoperative Working at unsafe speeds Welding, repairing tanks or vessels without regard for the presence of hazardous chemicals and vapors.
Regarding the general maintenance itself in production, it consists of keeping the premises, facilities, equipment, work tools in conditions that guarantee maximum efficiency, for the production and utility of the company. We are not talking about keeping everything in perfect condition, but in optimal conditions, because taking into account that excessive maintenance is also very expensive.
When buying any equipment, read the instructions and keep the catalogs. The most convenient thing is to carry a record sheet where you have the name, series, date of purchase, cost, location, changes. The maintenance and repair details should also be listed here.
When we talk about corrective maintenance, it is one that is carried out once the machines and equipment have failed.
Generally, corrective maintenance must be done to those parts that are difficult to predict when a failure may occur.
Parallel to the above are the systematic inspections or preventive maintenance, with which the aim is to discover that something is failing or a fault is about to appear, these are carried out at intervals of time and in the places that are more prone to failures.
The equipment has been classified into three different groups for inspections.
- Class A: they are those whose interruptions are costly for the production since they entail a high cost of repair and time, apart from the costs of spare parts and labor. Class B: they produce small losses to the production but the mechanical costs are high.Class C: low cost equipment not linked to production.
All of the above I believe is enough to understand that efficiency and competitiveness not only have to do with accounting and financial movements but also with a careful management of the waste of time and work as a result of accidents and maintenance.
