Insights
8.5% of the UK workforce are exposed to risks within the manufacturing industry daily. Here you can learn the main hazards that contractors can face in the manufacturing industry and how to mitigate these risks.
Contrary to common perceptions, the UK manufacturing industry is thriving. UK manufacturing is currently the eighth largest industrial nation in the world, employing 2.6 million people. If the current growth trends continue, UK manufacturing will break into the top five by 2021.
As it stands, 8.5% of the UK workforce are exposed to risks within the manufacturing industry daily. It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that their contractors have considered any additional workforce hazards and has the resources to be able to deal with them efficiently. Here you can learn the main hazards that contractors can face in the manufacturing industry and how to mitigate these risks.
Potential hazards in the industry
Your contractors should be aware of their own hazards and should ensure that they have procedures in place to manage these hazards. The hazards that contractors can be exposed to will vary significantly as the manufacturing industry is made up of businesses of all sizes. However, generally, the following risks can occur:
- Dusts and fumes
- Handling
- Height
- Lifting operations
- Machinery
- Transport activities
- Work at height
It is therefore crucial that you hire capable contractors for your business. By doing so, you can ensure that work is carried out safely and, in turn, reduce the risk of injuries from taking place. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) could prosecute you if you fail to carry out the necessary checks and provide the necessary information, such as risk assessments, that is needed for contractors to be able to complete a job safely.
Who we work with?
Alcumus SafeContractor is regarded as one of the UK’s leading health and safety accreditation schemes. Our customer base comprises of over 380 clients, including brand clients such as Greggs, Weetabix and Unilever UK Group. Greggs joined SafeContractor to help manage contractors working across its UK sites. The food retail giant was looking for a way to monitor local contractors from their head office in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, without having to go through a time-consuming process each time.
Our approved database enables our clients to select contractors to work on their site, with peace of mind that they are health and safety compliant. We help a wide range of manufacturing companies run efficiently by assessing contractors for them, ensuring that contractors meet legal requirements.
How we can help
We appreciate that time is precious to all businesses, and we free up as much as possible for you by providing a health and safety accreditation scheme. Our in-house technical experts will pre-qualify your contractors and ensure that they are legally compliant with health and safety regulations, saving you time and money. We help hundreds of manufacturing companies reduce the risks that can arise by ensuring that every contractor has the correct qualifications and enough skills to be able to carry out work safely. Our accreditation scheme enables contractors to become compliant quickly, and we provide access to a portal which offers transparency and visibility of our contractor's compliance. This enables you to look for approved contractors to work on safely on your site.
Mitigate risks in your business with Alcumus SafeContractor
Alcumus SafeContractor can help you understand how to comply with the regulations for contractor safety within your workplace, allowing you to protect your staff, contractors and your business. To learn more, click here to read the full whitepaper titled Mitigating Contractor Risk in the Manufacturing Sector. Register for SafeContractor today or call our friendly team today on 02920 266 242 to find out more about our health and safety accreditation service for contractors. We can help you mitigate the risks in your business.
