Facilities / Maintenance Checklist
A maintenance worker, is responsible for a lot – providing a steady flow of water, heat and cooling as well as upkeep of every part of the workplace. As a result, you need to know about a broader range of safety issues than probably anyone else who works in the facility.
Since you work in all areas of the facility, you encounter a variety of hazards from power equipment to paint vapors. You could be exposed to injury from electrocution, falls, chemical splashes, confined spaces and other dangers.
The National Safety Council reports that 104 million production days are lost due to work related injuries. The causes of workplace injuries are not as outlandish as you might think. They can include overexertion, contact with objects and equipment and slips, trips, and falls.
The workplace injury stats are equal parts alarming and completely preventable.
The facilities team is the front line for inspecting and fixing building issues and keeping the entire company safe. However, it is also equally as important to put the procedures in place to keep the team itself safe.
PREVENTION
Protection needs to be the top priority all the time, here are some of the most important things to do and keep in mind to prevent injury or worse.
Wear the gear
Face shields, water-repellant boots and coveralls are part of your protection against a sewer spill. From safety-toed boots to hardhat, you need personal protection equipment (PPE) suitable for each task. Pulling nails requires a different set of gloves than cleaning up a chemical spill. You need to have safety glasses and wear them, as well as wear earplugs or earmuffs when needed.
Hazard communication
If a department or laboratory in the facility uses chemicals, make sure you know where and what the chemicals are. Read the material safety data sheet for each chemical you use, and make sure you know where to find the MSDS fast in an emergency.
Electrical
Obey signs warning of any electrical hazard. Don’t work with electricity if not qualified to do so. Don’t stand on an aluminum ladder when working near electrical wiring.
Lock out
When working with power equipment and power sources, beware of unexpected release of energy. The lockout/tagout system protects you and others, and safety laws require it.
Beware asbestos
You may encounter asbestos in an older facility while stringing telephone cable or installing
MORE PREVENTION:
- The most important quality when choosing safety equipment is if your employees want to actually use and wear it. If they don’t like the way it fits or feels, employees will be less likely to use the equipment and therefore will be more likely to put themselves in danger.
- Safe habits can slip, so training sessions and talks should occur individually when people start, and team-wide throughout the year – such as at the start of each season. If any procedures change, new equipment is introduced, or if an injury occurs, a safety training should be scheduled for the entire team immediately
- employees that have been working at the same facility for some time may feel more comfortable on the job and might relax their commitment to safety equipment and procedures. Even the best trained and equipped team needs to be monitored to ensure that workers are wearing what they should be wearing.
- Maintaining employee safety might seem like an overwhelming job, but as you can see facilities managers can prevent all types of workplace injuries. All you have to do is ask the right questions, provide the right tools, and always stay vigilant.