how automated loading solutions can reduce human risk in the automotive industry

When working in the automotive industry, employees face a variety of risks. Here are some of the main ones:

Ergonomic risks are a particular hazard. Employees must lift heavy objects, carry them and put them down, but they haven’t always received the right training to do so. Performing these repetitive taska tasks incorrectly can exert stress on their bodies and create a great deal of accidents. They may suffer back, muscle and/or ligament injuries, which creates the risk and the likelihood of them dropping items and also placing their colleagues at risk.

This isn’t only the case in assembly plants, factories and other premises where people manufacture cars or car parts. Employees working in the car service sector are also at risk. Often, they have to perform tasks that include repetitive motions in uncomfortable positions or awkward ones.

Employees in the automotive industry must work with hazardous chemicals. The pads in the brake drums of cars, for instance, contain asbestos in some cases, and these can find their way into the air when a worker tries to replace them or fix them. Workers need proper protection to safeguard them against the breathing problems, chest problems and even lung cancer that long-term exposure to the chemical can create.

Antiknock agents, fuel additives used to reduce engine knocking and increase the fuel’s octane rating, and other substances are just as dangerous. Inhalation, ingestion or absorption of them through the skin can cause liver and kidney malfunctions. Manganese, touluene, benzene and xylene are other common hazardous chemicals in the automotive industry.

When welding, working on radiators, handling batteries, using lubricants or painting vehicles, workers have to wear suitable protective gear. If they inhale lead dust, they may suffer irreversible neurological damage. Lead in the lungs, muscle pain, abdominal trouble, digestive issues, impaired coordination, numbness and depression are all potential complications workers who don’t have the right PPE equipment may experience.

Diesel fumes can trigger nausea, dizziness and headaches. In the long run, the fumes can even cause brain damage, so it’s exceptionally important for workers to protect themselves with PPE.

Welding and working near controlled flames is a common and necessary part of car manufacture, but the tasks generate so much heat that employees working nearby can end up experiencing stress and discomfort. They may feel lightheaded, dizzy and confused if the exposure is excessive. They may even faint, in fact. All this increases the risk of accidents.

These can include:

• People being struck or injured by moving parts or materials. Rollers, pulley drives and belts may also draw in parts of the body and trap them.
• Sharp edges causing cuts. Parts that have sharp points may puncture the skin or stab it. Parts that have rough surfaces can cause friction or abrasion.
• People being crushed between parts moving together.
• Machine parts being so hot or cold a worker receives scolds or burns. Electricity can cause electric shocks or burns.
• Injuries occurring because machines have developed faults or become unreliable.
• Injuries happening because workers aren’t operating them correctly, due to a lack of training or lack of experience.

Other big risks employees may encounter when working in the automotive industry include slips, trips and falls.

Thankfully, it’s possible to lower the risk of injuries by implementing automated loading solutions. Here’s how automated loading solutions help to reduce risk:

Implementing an automated truck loading system in your loading and unloading methods boosts efficiency, of course, but it also makes the loading safer in terms of how the business arranges the cargo. Automated loading systems help to pack more cargo into a trailer or other transportation vessel, and this greater utilisation of space keeps the cargo closer together and stops it from moving around as easily during transit. Cargo can suffer less damage and is less likely to fall, making it safer for the recipients to unload.

Automating your loading takes a lot of planning and requires a significant spend upfront, so it’s best to get clear about what automating your loading would achieve for you before investing. Consider doing a health and safety review of your workplace so you can identify issues in your workplace and understand how automating your loading could solve them or, if not that, contribute to resolving them.

If you operate in the automotive industry and want to make your workplace safe, and wish to implement one of our automated loading solutions to help you achieve this, feel free to get in touch. We’ll be happy to discuss your project and advise you on which system will best meet your requirements.