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OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY IN THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY
Occupational health and safety issues associated
with the operation of food and beverage processing
operations include the following:
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Physical hazards |
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Exposure to noise |
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Biological hazards |
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Chemical hazards |
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Exposure to heat and cold |
Physical Hazards
Physical hazards include exposure to same-level fall
hazards due to slippery conditions, the use of
machines and tools, and collisions with internal
transport equipment, such as forklift trucks and
containers. Some industry specific recommendations
are listed as follows:
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Maintain clean and dry
walking and working surfaces
and provide workers with
anti slip footwear; |
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Provide workers with
training in the proper use
of equipment (including the
proper use of machine safety
devises) and personal
protective equipment (PPE),
such as hearing protection,
and gloves, aprons etc. to
avoid cuts, amputations, and
other sharp instrument
traumas; |
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Ensure that the process
layout reduces opportunities
for process activities to
cross paths, thus avoiding
collisions and falls; |
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Demarcate transport
corridors and working areas
and ensure the proper
placement of handrails on
platforms, ladders, and
stairs; |
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Ground all electrical
equipment and installations
in wet rooms; |
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Prepare emergency plans and
train staff for emergency
Situations |
Lifting, Repetitive Work, and Work Posture Injuries
Food and beverage processing activities may include
a variety of situations in which workers can be
exposed to lifting, carrying, repetitive work, and
work-posture injuries. Such injuries may result from
heavy manual lifting and repetitive work, including
the operation of slicing and vacuum-packing machines
and poor working postures caused by inadequate
workstation and process activity design.
Exposure to Noise
A variety of operations in food and beverage
processing units generate substantial noise levels,
for example the canning plant, bottling machines,
conveyors and blanching applications. communication.
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