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Initiatives reduce accidents in corrugated sectorSimeon Goldstein, 3 July 2009Be the first to comment on this article Accidents in the corrugated sector are falling as a result of industry initiatives, but still remain higher than the manufacturing average. Confederation of Paper Industries statistics show an injury rate of 1,096 per 100,000 employees in 2008/9, a reduction of 42% since 2003 due to schemes such as human analysis error workshops. Health and Safety Executive manufacturing inspector Graham King told Packaging News that while the paper sector had made good progress to reduce the number of accidents it could not afford to be complacent. King said 39% of accidents involved machinery compared with 17% for manufacturing as a whole because corrugated firms tend to have continuously working machinery that is often handfed. “Most accidents happen when people are looking to make adjustments to equipment or remove a blockage,” he said. CPI head of health and safety Andrew Braund said it was too early to assess whether the workshops were having a direct impact although anecdotal evidence was positive. Last year, PABIAC, the Paper and Board Industry Advisory Committee, also launched a pledge for chief executives and managing directors in the sector to commit their businesses to health and safety in a bid to reduce accidents. DS Smith, SCA, SAICA and Smurfit Kappa are among the firms to have signed up to the pledge. For the full list click here. “Housekeeping standards across the industry are of a high quality, which means that slip, trips and falls, in general tend not to be an issue, unlike other manufacturing sectors,” said Braund. Manufacturing as a whole recorded 32 fatal accidents in 2008/9, one less than the previous year, of a total 180 work-related deaths in the UK. CORRUGATED SECTOR ACCIDENTS Injuries per 100,000 staff (manufacturing as a whole) 08/09 1,095 Source: CPI Speak Your Mind |
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