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5 tips for handling industrial lubricants safely

It is all too easy to prevent workplace accidents and safety issues by simply putting into practice basic measures. By ensuring that all staff have basic safety training, that there is no reason why anyone should be injured when working with lubricants, like those from Shell and Mobil, in an industrial setting. Below, you will find a few basic tips for remaining safe when handling petroleum-based products:

High-pressure injection injury prevention

Otherwise known as grease gun injuries, these are usually caused when a foreign material, like grease or solvent, is injected into body tissue, via the skin, when under pressure.

Such accidents can cause serious damage to the body’s soft tissue, and medical help much be sought immediately.

In order to avoid such injuries, staff should avoid touching chemicals and lubricants with their bare skin – something which is often done in the case of a leak, and a leading cause of high-pressure injection injuries. Instead they should either wear protective clothing, or find another way of stemming the flow.

Oil and lubricant spills

A major cause of accidents involving industrial lubricants is spilled product, which is obviously extremely slippery and can cause any number of slips and falls if not dealt with effectively. In order to prevent such injuries, sill should be immediately cleaned up using absorbent materials, and any leaks reported.

Application

Lubricants should not be applied to machinery that is in operation at the time, unless the machine is fitted with a central lubrication system or has oil caps located in a safe place. Staff should never reach around or lean over moving parts of any machine, as it would be easy for them to be injured. In extreme cases, they could eve lose a limb.

Machine guards

Machine guards are there to make equipment as safe as possible, which is why they should only be removed once machines are shut down, locked and marked as being out of service.

Protective clothing

It is vital that protective clothing is provided and the wearing of it is enforced if one wants to ensure that staff are safe, Loose, baggy or torn clothing is particularly dangerous in an industrial setting as it can so easily be caught up in a machine.

As you can see, there are a number of things that can be done to ensure that the working environment is as safe as possible. Although accidents with machinery and lubricant are rare, it can never hurt to implement as many safety strategies as possible, just in case.

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