Two safety precautions employees of food manufacturers should take when operating industrial equipment

The equipment that is found in a typical food manufacturing facility is often very powerful and as such, precautions should be taken by those who need to use it. Here are two such precautions.

Put on safety gear before using an industrial oven

Industrial ovens like the Unox XEVC-2011-EPR are designed to cook large quantities of food very quickly; as such, the trays inside this equipment's internal chamber can become extremely hot. Additionally, when this type of oven is opened, gusts of hot steam may emerge from its internal chamber.

To avoid injury when retrieving food from an oven of this kind, employees should put on a pair of heatproof gloves; these will prevent the searing hot trays and cooked food from burning their skin.

Ideally, these gloves should also be high-grip; this will reduce the likelihood of hot foods slipping out of the employee's hands onto the ground (this type of accident could be quite dangerous, if the hot food splatters onto a nearby employee or if the oven dish in which it was being cooked shatters into sharp pieces).

Employees tasked with taking items out of a hot oven should also wear safety goggles with an anti-fog coating; this will ensure that their vision does not become obstructed by the large puffs of steam that come out of the oven chamber. This, in turn, will further reduce the risk of them mishandling the hot dishes as they remove them from the oven.

Dress appropriately

The way in which an employee dresses in a food manufacturing facility can affect their chances of being injured.

For example, if an employee chooses to wear a long, dangly necklace or a top with loose, flowing sleeves whilst they are operating an industrial food mixer, there is a very strong chance that their necklace or top could get caught in the moving blades. If this should happen, their arm or head could be cut open by these sharp implements.

Likewise, if an employee has long hair and does not tie it up before approaching a facility's moving conveyor belt system, a strand of it could get trapped in the belt, in which case they could end up being dragged several feet across the floor. This could leave them with severe abrasions and a head wound.

As such, it is vital for employees of these types of facilities to dress appropriately. Ideally, they should wear close-fitting, unadorned tops and trousers, and make sure that their hair is always tied back. For more information, contact companies like Ian Boer Refrigeration.

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