Each year, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) releases the most frequently cited workplace violations. Dubbed OSHA’s Top 10, the list examines the year’s most serious safety violations in an attempt to increase employer accountability and improve worker safety. Despite growing concern for improved occupational safety, the violations don’t vary much year to year, and many are the result of inadequate safety and personal protective equipment (PPE) programs.
According to an article in Safety + Health Magazine, inadequate fall protection remained number one with 7,014 violations. The previous years’ newcomer category, eye and face protection, held on to its number ten spot with 1,411 violations.
Where there are violations, there are fines. And each year, OSHA increases the maximum penalties employers face for willfully endangering employees. These fines don’t begin to account for expensive medical claims, lost time and workers’ compensation costs associated with employee injury, illness or even death. According to the National Safety Council (NSC), work injury costs reached $170.8 billion with average workers’ compensation costs coming in at just over $40,000 per claim in 2018.
The fact is that these staggering costs could be avoided with effective hazard prevention and control. That means these costs can be held at bay with some simple efforts. Hold regular safety meetings. Communicate hazards clearly and keep safety equipment easily accessible.
Don’t Be A Statistic: PPE Vending Machines Help Improve Safety Compliance
While OSHA cracks down on occupational safety violations, there are effective solutions employers can use to prevent work-related hazards. In addition to rigorous occupational safety and health plans and policies already in place, companies are finding industrial vending machines a viable solution to their employee safety needs.
In a busy facility, keeping tabs on where each inventory item exists can be challenging. Safety directors often struggle getting their employees to actively use safety gear when it is readily available. This effort is compounded when the gear is missing or out of stock. If workers have to stop what they are doing to hunt down the supplies they need to work safely, production slows or comes to a halt. What’s worse, some employees will forego their safety gear altogether to keep operations running. So how do employers ensure safety equipment is available and up to date? 1sourcevend has your solution.
Inventory control solutions like industrial vending can dispense and track critical pieces of personal protective equipment such as:
- Eye Protection
- Ear Protection
- Fall Protection
- Face Shields
- Safety Gloves
- Respirators
- Tie Back Sleeves
- Aprons
- Safety Vests
- Hydration Products
- Cooling Products
When paired with powerful inventory control management software from 1sourcevend, vending machines allow employers to dispense critical safety-related items at the point-of use. This cuts down on time workers spend searching for safety equipment. The convenience of having safety items at the entrance to your worksite also helps ensure employees use them. There is now no excuse for not using safety supplies.
Locker machines also enable employees to replace items when they are no longer in use. This feature is especially helpful for keeping track of reusable, high-value items. Items dispensed can be documented down to the employee level, ensuring workers are following the company’s safety policy to the letter. Want to control item usage to one safety glove per day, week or month? That’s not a problem. You can customize user permissions and restrictions to meet your company’s needs. Plus, 1sourcevend’s inventory control software and vending options are easy to use. There’s no need to spend days training staff on how to use it. It’s plug-and-play right from the start.
1sourcevend’s industrial vending and inventory control software solutions help employers in these 7 ways:
- Provide 24/7 Access to Safety Supplies
- Improve Worker Safety and Accountability
- Document PPE Usage
- Forecast Safety Purchasing Needs
- Minimize Waste and Shrinkage
- Ensure Better PPE Compatibility
- Increase Worker Productivity
Related: PPE Vending Machines Emerge as Powerful Facility Safety Solution
By gaining visibility into each employee’s usage, employers can gauge who’s taking too many or too few items, providing an opportunity to tackle non-compliance issues head on before an incident occurs.
Vending machines are a huge help for safety managers in particular. Automated vending and inventory control reports and alerts frees up valuable time. Instead of keeping tabs on every item in the safety supply room, focus time on more important responsibilities. For example, if you experience a summertime employee dehydration problem, reports will show that the liquids were made readily available. Vending also offers you more control of the quality of available safety products. Once designated in the machine, you can worry less about cheaper, inferior products getting into your plant. All you have to worry about is making sure the machines are well stocked.
Keeping an eye on OSHA’s Top 10 can be helpful to employers looking for reminders on common safety hazards, but it doesn’t end there. Regular hazard assessments are necessary to spot those dangers that tend to go unnoticed. Reach out to OSHA or your local industrial hygienists for programs and resources that can help you improve your safety program.
For your inventory control needs, look to 1sourcevend. We’re here with the inventory control software and industrial vending solutions you need to keep your operations running smoothly and safely. Request a free online demo of our powerful software or contact us directly at 901-345-6011
Distributors, if you’re interested in learning how vending machines and inventory control software can help you improve your customers’ facility safety, we want to hear from you.