Health and Safety within the Car Manufacturing Industry - Part 2
In Part 1 of our "Health and Safety within the Car Manufacturing Industry" blog article, we discussed the varying elements which can increase the risk of cardiac arrest in the manufacturing industry, as well as the implications of delayed treatment due to environmental factors.
Today, we're looking specially at the Car Manufacturing Industry, the risks and what you can do as an employer to increase the safety of your team.
the Car Manufacturing Industry
The UK car manufacturing scene is a busy one; in 2015 almost 1.6 million cars were built on our shores, up 3.9% on 2014 according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
Cars and engines produced by Ford, Mini, Toyota, Vauxhall and Jaguar Land Rover take up the bulk of the country’s export whilst Nissan and Honda also make up key parts of the UK car manufacturing industry.
Nissan manufactured over 500,000 cars at its Sunderland plant in 2013. 19% of production was sold domestically in the UK, 71% was exported to the rest of Europe (including Russia) and 10% exported to the rest of the world Over 70% of the total number of Nissan cars sold in Europe (excluding UK) came from the Sunderland plant. A similar proportion of production destined for the EU market can be seen at Honda, Toyota and Vauxhall More than half of Sunderland’s manufacturing jobs are now car-related and the city council estimates there are 14,000 jobs in Nissan and its tier-one suppliers locally Ford in the UK manufacturers approximately 1.5 million engines, with Dagenham supplying diesel engines for all of Ford in Europe The UK is the fourth largest vehicle manufacturer in the EU after producing 1.6 million vehicles in 2013 – and it is expected to leap to 2million in 2020 In 2010, Nissan decided to site the European production of its LEAF electric care in the UK. This was accompanied by a brand new battery plant built next to the car assembly plant in Sunderland. As of January 2014, 100,000 Nissan LEAFs had been sold worldwide, making it the best selling electric car globally Toyota has also sited the production of its Auris Hybrid, the first full mass-produced hybrid in EU, in the UKThe production of so many cars in the UK is fantastic for the industry, but the volume of vehicles being produced offers workers with little rest bite and magnifies the need for strict health and safety procedures to ensure a safe working environment at all times.
Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK’s Health and Safety Engineer Mick Morrell said:
‘High on the list of the factors that maintain NMUK’s record productivity is the very strong safety culture that has run through the company since it was first established. Ever since day one, company workers have been issued with strict directives on the wearing of safety gloves, safety glasses and other personal protection equipment (PPE). As a result, safety has become second nature for NMUK workers. And Ansell protective gloves have literally become their second skin.
‘We are constantly trying to keep cutting down on the number of industrial accidents and the resulting work related lost time absence, as well as they indirect costs that are invariably involved following a work related injury.
‘We continually look for improvement with existing tools and PPE.’
Speed just as important as training.
We are strong advocates of having everybody trained in first aid in a workplace, whether it is likely they will be needed to assist in an emergency situation or not. The fact remains that anyone could need help at any time – especially within the manufacturing industry.
However, we’ll also say that in terms of defibrillator use – training is not as vital as the speed in which a defibrillator is located and used on a patient who has suffered a sudden cardiac arrest.
Modern day defibrillators are designed to be used by untrained first responders in an emergency, which in part negates the need for defibrillator training, allowing anyone to be able to use a unit in an emergency.
If a victim of a sudden cardiac arrest receives CPR and defibrillation within 60 seconds of collapse, their survival chances increase to 90%.
A more realistic time frame, if treatment is provided within 3-5 minutes of collapse then survival chances increase from 6% to 74%.
However, having AED training ensures learners gain familiarity with how to operate the device, where pads should be placed quickly, how to perform CPR well and provide the victim with a greater chance of survival.
But the largest benefit to come from taking part in AED training is the confidence in which learners will take away with them. Lack of confidence in an emergency situation and hesitation could be all that decides the quality of treatment provided to someone who has suffered a cardiac arrest and whether they survive the incident.
It is a high pressure situation and having that prior knowledge could make all the difference.
How we can help
The AED market can be confusing. You want to know that you’re spending your money on the right defibrillator. Will it work to its optimum in your environment? For instance, you will undoubtedly need a different kind of defibrillator if you work at a leisure centre than a factory shop floor. So how can you tell which is best for you?
Well all AEDs come with an IP rating which tells the customer what the AED protects against (dust , water or both) whilst you can also take a look at our buyers guide which is put together specifically to help in this situation.
defibshop can also offer companies a site assessment form which can be used to evaluate how many defibrillators your site could need in order to optimise the safety and protection of all employees.
And if it turns out that multiple defibrillators are required, it is even more important to have multiple staff members trained in how to use AEDs.
As well as being able to offer the best, impartial advice on all of our defibrillators, we offer first-class, nationally accredited CPR and AED training including first aid skills. All of our training courses not only adhere to, but exceed the core competencies which are laid out by the Resuscitation Council UK therefore providing you with advanced training for an emergency situation.
And once you have completed our accredited CPR and AED training courses, you’re ready to go for the next 3 years before you will be required to take a requalification course (which we also can provide) to ensure that all the skills and knowledge you have acquired in training do not fade away.
If you would like to learn more about defibrillators, the heart, cardiac arrest and everything in between then our friendly, impartial and knowledgeable defibshop team are here to help. Call us on 0845 071 0830 or alternatively head to our FAQ page which is packed full of useful information.
(photos – Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images)
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