Description
The safety of machines throughout their entire life cycle is the basis for safe working practices. The ISSA Section on Machine and System Safety promotes this through a variety of measures, such as a Safety Award.
At the same time, the circumvention of safety devices is a widespread phenomenon in almost all industries – from industrial manufacturing and skilled trades to laboratory work. Despite a multitude of technical security measures, there are still frequent incidents where protective measures are circumvented. Employees often do this to speed up work processes, avoid production downtime, or increase efficiency, often in the belief that management tacitly expects such shortcuts or tolerates them as “normal working practice” – an assessment that is confirmed by a recent survey in Germany: More than 50 percent of managers are aware that such manipulations take place. Employees do this even when they are aware that they are exposing themselves to risk because they prioritize their work tasks or production targets over their own health.
Technical measures alone are therefore not enough to ensure safe working practices: human factors such as management expectations and corporate culture are also crucial. A positive safety and error culture in which employees can openly address problems, combined with a clearly visible commitment by managers to safe work processes, can significantly reduce the risk of manipulation. Particular attention should be paid to the design of practical, safe, and user-friendly work processes, as well as to training and involving employees in safety issues.