Manufacturing Safety in 2025: 10 Practices to Prioritize

Safety is not optional in the manufacturing industry; it is essential. Many workers enter manufacturing plants every day to operate machines, handle materials, and maintain production, so proper safety measures are essential to their well-being.

Recent statistics tell a better story: According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the manufacturing industry witnessed 391 fatal occupational injuries in 2023. These numbers show that more work needs to be done to make manufacturing plants safer.

Irrespective of your experience level as a safety officer or plant manager, implementing robust safety standards promotes a culture where safety becomes second nature. This article outlines the top ten best practical safety tips for manufacturing facilities.

These strategies, from wearing personal protective equipment to undergoing training programs, will help you minimize risks and build a safety culture. This way, manufacturing managers, safety officers, and compliance professionals can work together to reduce fatalities.

What is Manufacturing Safety?

Manufacturing safety means prioritizing the health and well-being of employees by applying precautions and practices in manufacturing plants. Because these professionals work in warehouses, they’re susceptible to injuries, accidents, and illnesses as they operate machinery. 

However, manufacturing safety involves implementing rules and regulations to minimize the potential of these hazardous conditions. With this safety, companies can protect their employees and boost operational efficiency and productivity.

The Importance of Manufacturing Workplace Safety

Safety in the manufacturing workplace is fundamental for a productive and accident-free environment. Beyond keeping workers from risks, it ensures regulatory compliance and equips workers with proper knowledge on how to protect themselves.

Here’s why safety is paramount in this particular sector:

• Compliance With Regulations: Workplace safety practices are dictated and established by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). Following these guidelines helps you maintain your organization’s reputation and safeguard workers’ health during manufacturing.

• Safety for Workers: Prioritizing manufacturing safety means prioritizing employees’ health. Companies can guarantee the security of their workforce by keeping equipment in good shape, providing training, and applying safety protocols.

• Minimize Injuries and Accidents: A company will spend more on medical fees, legal fees, and inadequate productivity if a worker gets injured or has an accident. With adequate safety precautions, the company can drastically reduce the chances of accidents and injuries, protect workers, and save costs.

• Enhances Manufacturing Efficiency: Workers can increase their efficiency and productivity if they understand how to maintain safety in manufacturing plants. This is easily obtainable since there is less likelihood of getting injured or ill due to hazardous environments.

• Improves Performance: A safe work environment is a morale booster for employees. When they feel valued and protected, it improves their performance and attitude to work, promoting better work quality.

• Protect the Organization’s Reputation: When employers become intentional about their workers’ health and safety in manufacturing plants, it protects and maintains their public image. On the flip side, if an organization has a long record of workplace illnesses, injuries, and accidents, it affects its reputation and scares away potential employees.

10 Safety Best Practices to Follow in Manufacturing

In manufacturing plants, each employee’s safety depends on robust precaution strategies. So, applying comprehensive safety tips is essential for protecting your most valuable asset—your workforce.

Below, we’ll break down ten critical safety tips that can turn your manufacturing facility from a potentially dangerous zone to a risk-free workplace with operational excellence.

1. Smart Security Surveillance

It is important to implement smart security surveillance to maintain efficiency and safety in manufacturing facilities. Advanced systems like Coram swiftly integrate with existing IP camera systems and provide AI-driven alerts, and remote management across multiple locations of the manufacturing plant.

With these features, you can monitor events in real-time and receive instant threat detection, protecting the workforce and assets within a manufacturing environment.

Coram’s platform allows manufacturing managers and safety officers to oversee multiple manufacturing sites from one cloud-based dashboard.

This gives them real-time access to security alerts, live camera feeds, and a quick search feature to find specific events efficiently.

When manufacturers adopt this smart surveillance solution, they can proactively manage potential security issues, prevent pricey downtime, and sustain a safe working environment.

2. Use Equipment, Machines, and Tools as Intended

Improper use of equipment, machines, and tools is among the leading causes of workplace injuries and accidents in the manufacturing sector.

Therefore, workers must receive proper training on the accurate use of all equipment and machinery alongside clear guidelines on safety measures to follow during use.

Using tools or equipment for purposes outside their intended design can result in malfunctions, injuries, or equipment damage. For example, bypassing safety regulations while using a power saw may appear time-saving but increase the likelihood of severe injuries.

Frequently reminding workers to obey these guidelines together with continuous supervision and refresher training, ensures compliance and minimizes the risk associated with dangerous shortcuts.

Overall, prioritizing proper machinery use prolongs its lifespan, protects the workforce, and promotes a safety-first culture across manufacturing plants.

3. Wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Personal protective equipment is the last line of defense against hazards in manufacturing plants, making it among the most important safety tips.

Items such as goggles, hard hats, gloves, earplugs, and full bodysuits are paramount for protecting employees from cuts, chemical exposures, and head trauma.

So, employers are responsible for supplying appropriate PPE based on specific tasks and must emphasize its regular use. Additionally, they must train their workforce on the importance of PPE and how to use it effectively.

In 2024, the U.S. PPE market size was estimated at $20,841.7 million and is expected to grow at a 7.7% CAGR from 2025 to 2030. This report underscores the rising emphasis on workplace safety and the critical role of personal protective equipment.

4. Follow The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

Obeying the OSHA regulations is important for maintaining a compliant and safe manufacturing environment. OSHA was established to promote safe working conditions and design guidelines that tackle various workplace hazards.

Reports from 2023 show that there were 5,283 fatal work injuries. This highlights the need for strict compliance with OSHA’s guidelines. Further, violating OSHA’s standards attracts huge financial penalties and jeopardizes employee safety.

For instance, there were over 10,000 OSHA violations in the manufacturing industry (from October 2019 to September 2020), leading to penalties totaling nearly $38 million.

Regularly implementing and updating safety measures in line with OSHA standards can greatly minimize workplace fatalities and injuries.

5. Build and Follow Checklists

Adopting structured checklists is one manufacturing safety tip that cannot be overlooked. These checklists regulate inspection procedures and operational efficiency so that no critical aspect is neglected during safety assessments.

Companies that build and follow checklists easily mitigate risks by identifying and addressing potential hazards before they lead to accidents. Moreover, checklists encourage accountability among employees since every task completion is documented.

Simultaneously, regular documentation creates a culture of responsibility among workers and contributes to a more productive manufacturing environment.

6. Encourage Early Reporting

This proactive manufacturing safety tip isn’t talked about enough. Reporting early about hazardous conditions in your workplace saves you from a lot of trouble.

So, employers should support and encourage employees to report potential dangers, near-misses, or hazards without fear of blame.

Beyond being a proactive measure, early reporting establishes transparency and accountability among workers. Manufacturing managers and safety officers can tackle issues before they escalate, which reduces risks and complies with safety regulations.

In addition, tracking near-miss incidents supplies useful data that employers can analyze to determine challenges and enhance safety protocols.

7. Implement Comprehensive Training Programs

When workers are equipped with the right knowledge, achieving safety across manufacturing facilities becomes easy. The only way to achieve this is by holding comprehensive training programs/sessions on manufacturing safety.

For better implementation, you can use presentation slides and supporting documents to educate employees on how to protect their health and safety in the manufacturing industry.  Furthermore, you can train them to identify safety problems and different unsafe practices.

To make things more professional, you can hire safety specialists to train the entire workforce or train only department heads/managers while these managers train their team members.

8. Promote Frequent Breaks

Manufacturing facilities require a high level of physical and mental focus, making fatigue a serious safety risk.

Stress, long shifts, and repetitive tasks can minimize worker alertness, increasing the chances of errors, injuries, and accidents.

But when you allot scheduled breaks to the workforce, it maintains workplace productivity and safety.

Employers can significantly reduce fatigue-related hazards and improve employee focus by promoting frequent breaks that allow workers to rest, hydrate, stretch, and reset.

9. Inspect Your Facility Regularly

Frequently inspecting your facility to ensure it meets OSHA standards is a critical prevention strategy in the manufacturing sector. It identifies potential hazards before they compound into injuries or accidents.

Facility inspection goes beyond mere compliance. Experts observe a holistic view of workplace safety by evaluating employee interactions or practices, equipment conditions, operational protocols, and environmental dangers.

Upon assessing and identifying problems, these professionals develop improvement strategies that protect workers’ health and boost organizational efficiency.

Ultimately, these thorough inspections address risks, ensure regulatory compliance, demonstrate commitment to safety, and lower workplace incidents and insurance costs.

10. Establish a Robust Safety Culture

A robust safety culture makes safety a core organizational value where every worker actively participates to sustain a safe work environment. This approach makes everyone see safety as a shared commitment where they all prioritize one another’s well-being.

Establishing this culture requires transparent communication, consistent leadership, continuous improvement, and frequent training.

With these, manufacturing companies can make workplace safety an organizational mindset that safeguards workers’ health and efficiency.

Why is Health And Safety Important in Manufacturing?

The global marketplace depends heavily on the manufacturing sector. However, manufacturing jobs entail serious hazards and risks that could endanger workers’ health and safety. Every day, manufacturing workers encounter several risks—being around loud noises, working in confined areas, handling risky chemicals, and operating hefty machinery.

In addition to being morally essential, keeping a healthy, safe, and productive workplace is also required by the law and economy. Illnesses and accidents at work can have disastrous effects, such as legal liability, higher insurance costs, and lower output.

Likewise, a robust safety culture can improve job satisfaction, staff morale, and your company’s overall performance. Making health and safety a top priority in your manufacturing plant will protect your staff, lower the possibility of dangerous incidents, and prove your compliance with HSE regulations.

While it is the ethical thing to do, investing in the right health and safety protocols and software can also contribute to the future sustainability and success of your manufacturing company.

Moreover, studies indicate that prioritizing safety at work guarantees constant quality, increases output, and minimizes costs. Thus, it is crucial to the manufacturing industry’s success.

What Are OSHA Standards For The Manufacturing Industry?

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) establishes comprehensive regulations to preserve the health and safety of employees in the manufacturing sector. These standards cover different areas, including chemical handling, machinery operation, and electrical safety.

Understanding and abiding by these OSHA standards is vital for manufacturers to maintain compliance and preserve their workforce. Let’s look at the important OSHA standards for the manufacturing industry:

• Machine Guarding (29 CFR 1910.212): Machine guarding is essential for manufacturing safety. For this standard, manufacturers must install guards on equipment and machinery to keep workers away from potentially harmful moving parts. These guards must be strong, easy to monitor, and adequately maintained.

• Hazard Communication (29 CFR 1910.1200): The workforce in the manufacturing sector usually works with dangerous chemicals. The Hazard Communication Standard requires manufacturers to appropriately label and supply safety data sheets (SDS) for the chemicals used in the work environment. In addition, employees must be trained in safely handling and storing these chemicals.                   

• Respiratory Protection (29 CFR 1910.134): Airborne pollutants from manufacturing processes can pose risks to employees' health. The Respiratory Protection Standard demands that manufacturers supply the proper respiratory protection equipment whenever necessary. This covers proper fit testing, training, and frequent respiratory equipment maintenance.

• Lockout/Tagout (29 CFR 1910.147): During maintenance or repair, lockout/tagout (LOTO) protocols are vital for avoiding unplanned machine starts. To avoid accidents, this standard specifies the procedures that manufacturers must follow to guarantee that machines are de-energized, locked, and tagged before maintenance work starts.

• Personal Protective Equipment (29 CFR 1910.132): In the manufacturing sector, PPE (personal protective equipment) is essential for shielding employees from various dangers. According to this standard, employers must evaluate workplace hazards and give workers free PPE, including helmets, gloves, eye protection, and more.

• Electrical Safety (29 CFR 1910.303): Manufacturing uses electricity extensively, and mismanaging it can result in serious harm or even death. This standard emphasizes electrical safety, including specifications for wiring, equipment, and safe work practices.

Here are other OSHA regulations specifically tailored to sub-industries within manufacturing, such as battery manufacturing, chemical manufacturing, etc.

Key Takeaways

• Protecting your workforce is the foundation of a productive manufacturing environment. Making safety a top priority equals lower costs, fewer accidents, and a happier, healthier team.

• OSHA standards and regulations are lifesavers. Follow them to maintain your workplace reputation and safety while avoiding heavy fines and accidents.

• Giving employees the right tools, PPE, and intensive safety training equips them to manage risks confidently and effectively.

• Advanced security solutions such as AI-powered surveillance systems can improve monitoring, prevent accidents, and guarantee safety.

• Establishing a robust safety culture requires consistency, teamwork, and transparency. When safety becomes second nature, it increases morale, productivity, and efficiency.

• Early reporting of hazards, structured checklists, and frequent facility inspections are simple yet effective strategies to stay ahead of potential risks.