3 column news

Fall harvest is rapidly approaching, and while it’s still the sunny summer months, it’s always good to be prepared. This season is the peak of the harvest time, and there will be a lot of work to do for both large and small farms. Safety during harvest season should be the utmost priority of any landowner or business owner, so get ready for the season with these important reminders.

• Prepare grain bins and safety equipment. A great deal of grain gets harvested during the fall season. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to prepare the grain bins and silos, so they’re ready to receive the year’s harvest. Furthermore, you need to prepare the safety equipment for handling grain, including grain bin tubes and other life-saving equipment, to prevent fall harvest accidents. 
• Ensure the bins are clean and all components are working. Cleaning the bins prevents any issues from coming up later on. Checking for the bins’ structural integrity, foundations, and even its walls can ensure that it’s strong enough to handle the harvest operations and the crop it’ll hold. Make sure to check for leaks and that an access ladder is present at all times. 
• Be aware of the machines at all times. Workers in the fields need to be thoroughly aware of where the harvesting machine is and whether it’s on or off. Regardless, no one should be near the harvesting machine when it is in the field during the fall harvest. No one should also maintain the machine while it is out on the field and operational. 
• Provide workers with proper training. One of the best ways to avoid incidents is to ensure that all workers and supervisors have the proper briefing and training on their jobs. If you’ve hired more personnel for the harvest, be sure that they are appropriately trained and that they are aware of what their jobs will entail. Emphasize safety protocols and regulations to them. 
   
  The fall harvest can be an incredibly hectic but rewarding time. With the proper preparation, things should go off without a hitch.Always be mindful of the proper safety procedures during any season. Visit KC Supply to find out what equipment you might need for the fall harvest.

Heat-related illness and incidents are a prime concern in many industrial and agricultural industries, especially during the summer months. Over time, the summer season has become hotter and hotter. With that comes the substantial risk of heat-related incidents, especially for workers who do many tasks outdoors or labor indoors in enclosed, unventilated spaces.

Here are several critical ways by which you can prevent these incidents from happening at work.

• Provide adequate hydration.
  Make sure all workers have plenty of access to water or a cold drink. As much as possible, they need to keep their body temperature down and avoid the risk of overheating. Urge them to drink water or liquids frequently to prevent heat-related illness. 
• Emphasize the importance of breaks.
  After toiling long hours in the heat, workers need to take a quick break in between. Workers need to eat lunch and drink water in the shade, and take a rest before they go out there and resume their duties once again. Pacing themselves, especially during heavy labor and physically taxing tasks, is critical. 
• Require the use of sunscreen and light-colored clothing.
  Sunscreen prevents outdoor workers from getting sunburns and reduces the risk of skin cancers or melanoma. Furthermore, sunburns can affect how the body regulates its temperature and thus need to be avoided. Light-colored clothing also keeps them cool by reflecting the hot sunshine. 
• Be aware of the signs of heatstroke.
  Though heat-related illness prevention is better than a cure, it’s still important to know the signs if someone is showing symptoms of heat stroke or fainting. Workers may become disoriented, stop sweating, or collapse completely. To prevent the problem from worsening, spot and address the situation immediately, getting them the medical help they need. Heat-related illnesses are severe matters and could endanger the lives of workers. It could also come at a significant cost to any business. Avoid the risks of heat stress and be prepared for high temperatures.

  KC Supply prioritizes the safety of your workers and your team. Visit KC Supply to find much-needed safety equipment and more workplace safety tips. 

An emergency action plan (EAP) is a critical component of any safety system in an industrial plant. It’s the protocol for just about any establishment to have such a plan in case of accidents, emergencies, or high-danger situations. But in industrial settings, where there is more risk and a higher chance of serious accidents, it’s even more essential for companies to develop an EAP to ensure that everyone involved remains safe.

What is an EAP?

As defined by OSHA, an emergency action plan “covers designated actions employers and employees must take to ensure employee safety from fire and other emergencies.” While not every employer is mandated by law to create such a plan, it remains in everyone’s best interests to develop an EAP to be prepared for any situation or incident.

How do you make one?

Your emergency action plan needs to be in writing. Every employee must be briefed or given a copy of the plan for review. In case a company less than ten employees, employers may communicate this plan verbally to them.

However, the EAP needs to have fire and emergency reporting procedures as well as emergency evacuation procedures. Remember that it needs to have evacuation types and assigned exit routes that employees can proceed to. The plan must also clearly demarcate floor maps that indicate where the emergency exits are. For power plants, water plants, and other major infrastructures, The EAP must also include procedures on how to shut systems down in case of emergency.

Furthermore, the emergency action plan needs to include an employee alarm system with a distinctive alarm that will alert all employees that an emergency is taking place. They must proceed with emergency procedures.

KC Supply reminds all employers with an EAP that any changes and individual employee responsibilities regarding the plans must get communicated to all employees covered by it. This makes sure that everyone, no matter what happens, knows what to do.

Workplace safety should be a major priority of any employer. Visit KC Supply to learn more vital information about workplace safety and procedures.

Emergency planning and preparing for untoward incidences is part of workplace safety. For many companies, especially industrial ones, having the right plan and preparedness for accidents or emergencies could mean life or death. To protect both employers and employees alike, companies must carefully draft plans and procedures for such incidents.

Critical Emergency Planning Reminders

1. Brainstorm for scenarios. What could potentially go wrong in the workplace? What are situations that could result in a worst-case scenario? Brainstorming these ideas and conditions can help your company plan what to do or what equipment to prepare in anticipation of them. These could include: 

• Natural disasters 
• Fire 
• Toxic chemicals or gases
• Civil disturbance
• Explosions 
• Bodily harm

2. Create an emergency action plan. OSHA recommends that workplaces create an emergency action plan or EAP to prepare for these emergencies. At the minimum, there must be a reporting procedure, an alarm system, and evacuation policies and procedures involved. As a part of emergency planning, every employee the plan covers needs to be briefed on these procedures.

3. Install and purchase emergency equipment. Equipment such as fire extinguishers, oxygen tanks and masks, first aid kits, and other related needs concerning any expected scenarios must remain stocked in the building. Employees or staff with responsibilities in the EAP need to access these items when needed readily.

4. Train employees in medical emergency procedures. Instill basic first aid knowledge in your employees. You also want to identify which employees know CPR or have training for seizures if necessary.

5. Protect business assets. Emergency planning may include procedures on how to shut down or lock down the systems and machines. It prevents further damage from spreading and protects business assets throughout the company in these situations.

KC Supply emphasizes that emergency planning is more than just a necessary chore for any industrial company. It may make a world of difference against potentially millions of dollars in damages. And it could mean the difference between life and death.

KC Supply encourages industrial companies to equip proper safety and emergency equipment to avoid and address workplace accidents. Visit KC Supply to learn more.

Harvest safety is of utmost importance as the season begins. It’s the only surefire way to ensure that a harvest is a productive, fruitful, and uneventful one. Harvesting brings out the use of more equipment and machinery and more personnel on-site actively doing agricultural processes. There is a higher likelihood of incidents and accidents, and it remains in every farmer’s best interest to double-check any safety precautions involved in the different processes.

1. Remind all personnel to be mindful when approaching harvest equipment, even when they thinkit’s shut off. Ensure that they come forward from the front and gain eye contact with the machine’s operator before approaching.
2. Do not stay near or approach machinery when it’s running unguarded. For harvest safety, always pay attention to the machine’s movement and know where it is.
3. Do not go into any joints or pinch points in the equipment where visibility is limited. Make sure you’re where the operator can see you at all times.
4. Train (or re-train) all personnel who will be handling the harvesting equipment. Ignorance or lack of training is a significant source of incorrect equipment operation, leading to accidents.
5. Be prepared. Know what everyone is supposed to do for each step and what to do in case of incidents. Come up with checklists and emergency plans for harvest safety.
6. Keep young children away from the harvest area. If it’s completely unavoidable to have them near the perimeter, know where they are at all times.
7. Do not overexert your physical capability. Exhaustion and fatigue make you prone to human error and mistakes, leading to accidents.
8. Brush up and practice grain bin safety. At least 12 people die every year in grain bins, getting suffocated inside.
9. Do not attempt to fix or repair any piece of equipment or machinery if it breaks down or stops working in the middle of the harvest. Always make sure that the machine is off.
10. Wear well-fitting clothing that gives you the ease of movement. This keeps your actions fast, efficient and keeps clothes out of risk of getting tangled in anything.

By keeping these great harvest safety reminders at the forefront of your endeavor, any harvest should go as smoothly as possible with excellent yields and few incidents.

KC Supply Co takes workplace safety seriously, especially in the agricultural industry. Visit our website to learn more about guidelines and safety reminders.

The goal of plant maintenance is simple: to keep the business running. A manufacturing, agricultural, or industrial company simply cannot continue doing its work for the day with a faulty plant with more than one issue going around. And if good plant maintenance doesn’t get upheld, the business won’t last very long either.

A well-oiled machine

The saying “a well-oiled machine” refers to everything working perfectly. This is the primary benefit of regular plant maintenance. Through careful and thorough plant maintenance, companies can ensure continuous, efficient production throughout their factory lines. Machines that can run smoothly at their total capacity are incredibly productive, and there won’t be any fear of downtime.

Time is money

The faster things get done, the more can get done during the day. And with an efficient, problem-free line of equipment, production rates can even improve, bringing more profits. Furthermore, regular plant maintenance saves a lot of repair money in the long run. Something small that seems “too troublesome” to repair now can cause a more significant breakdown later, leading to even higher operational costs after repairs.

Minimize hazards and workplace accidents

Finally, regular plant maintenance goes a long way in reducing workplace hazards. Any potentially dangerous occurrences (such as machines breaking down or malfunctioning, broken or slippery railings, and walkways, etc.) will get flagged ahead of time or prevented entirely. It reduces the likelihood of personnel and workers getting hurt.

Room for improvement

During inspections, companies may find that there are still areas where companies can make upgrades and improvements as well. Critical upgrades to better machinery or streamlining efficiency improve production and even create a higher quality product. It leads to higher quality service from the company all around.

Plant maintenance may seem like a “chore,” especially when it’s a regular occurrence. But what seems like something small now might grow into something else later. It’s better to have regular maintenance and nip any problems in the bud, and keep the production going as smoothly as possible every day.

Plant maintenance is part of overall safety and efficiency. Visit KC Supply to learn more about vital safety tips and efficiency ideas.