SME safety management practices

There has been an exponential growth of SMEs in India since independence. This growth has contributed to the overall growth of the GDP as well as to the growth of employment and export in the global economy. SMEs of India add up to about 95% of the industrial units, 40% of the industrial production, and 36% of the total exports. Also, SMEs provide employment to over 18 million people in about 3.2 million registered SME units in the country. The damaging factors as experienced by the SMEs are low capital base, difficulties in accessing technology, credit constraint, low access to business services, the constraint of quality of human resources. Safety management practices are not up to the mark in most SMEs. Market competitiveness, better efficiency, less risk, and strict laws were found to be the most important drivers; and financial constraints, lack of awareness, resistance to change, and lack of training for employees were found to be the main barriers.

Examples:

Near miss:

A near miss is an unplanned event that has the potential to cause but does not actually result in a human injury or damage to the property. For example – a missing label. A missing label itself is not a near miss but can create one if an employee is nearly injured by the improperly labelled substance, the event would be considered a near miss.

Slippery slope:

A worker slips on condensation that had dripped onto the floor but doesn’t fall but there is no injury, it can be considered as a near miss. A trip might occur, it is when an obstruction comes between a path of an employee while hitting their leg with the object or the leg. Such an incident can cause damage.

Narrow escapes:

A worker’s clothing gets caught in machinery. A worker jumps out of the way the moment before getting hit by a hot item or a big iron object getting hit on the head which was being carried by another worker. A worker finds a live, damaged electrical wire that is lying in a pool of water before contact is made.

Working at Heights:

While working at a high altitude, you can fall but are caught by your protective gear. A worker who is not wearing fall protection can be severely hurt and his movement can be restricted.

Avoiding near misses is one of the first steps in maintaining the safety measures in your business. Typically, an SME in its early stages wouldn’t be staffed with a full-time safety manager or officer. That does not mean, the business does not require a safety culture or cannot afford one. A safe environment can be created and maintained in any small business.

1.Basic General Industry Safety Rules:

2.Keep the work area neat and clean.

3.Use the proper tools required for the job.

4.Always wear the proper PPE according to your work environment.

5.Communicate hazards to other personnel.

6.Stop work when needed to address hazards.

Publish All Rules and regulations:

Be sure that every one employee or a member of your company is well aware of the safety rules and regulations. Write the safety tips on multiple pieces of paper and spread them all over the facility. Leaving no choice for miss-happening.

1.Encourage safety awareness

2.Do a worksite Inspection

3.Researching common hazards in your industry

4.Creating safety teams

5.Encouraging employees to report workplace hazards

6.Examining the history of your worksite conditions

7.Creating an adequate system for reporting hazards

8.Inspections by trained personnel

9.Seeking assistance from health and safety experts

The market is full of people trying to make it big in the game. And since there is a ton of competition out there you better want yourself to be ahead of others. That is why research and read as much as you can.