Shifts including unemployment, housing, industrial production, purchasing, energy prices and consumer spending greatly impact the manufacturing industries economic outlook. Currently, these variables speculate that manufacturing, which makes up 12% of the US economy, is stable and showing signs of improvement.

Consumer safety must be a top priority for manufacturing facilities, but equally important is employee safety. Making employee safety a top priority has multiple benefits including increased employee satisfaction, higher employee morale, reduced employee absenteeism and lower workers' compensation costs.

Today's manufacturing environment has evolved into a highly advanced combination of skilled laborers and precision machinery, which sometimes creates incredibly hazardous environments for employees. As investments are made in property, plant equipment and tools, we cannot afford to forget about safety.

In today's fast paced world of production, manufacturers have found new ways to improve throughput and productivity, and safety can sometimes get lost in the shuffle. After all, the seven forms of waste - defects, overproduction, inventory, over-processing, motion, transport and waiting - are the principles of manufacturing, not necessarily a safer work environment. If you made some significant changes to your operations over the past few years, it's time to reassess your plant floor safety initiatives.

Industrial machinery can expose workers to high levels of noise and projectiles, such as dust and metal, and can cause safety issues when protective guards are not properly installed or if they are missing. These hazards can lead to issues such as long term hearing loss and blindness, and can pose the risk of entanglement if workers' clothes or other items get caught in the machine. There have been many instances where the proper use of safety guards and protective clothing could have prevented cuts, punctures or even severed limbs.

Chemical exposure is another common occurrence in the manufacturing industry. This can lead to respiratory problems, issues with the nervous and reproductive systems, seizures and even death. Chemical manufacturing also poses a high risk of chemical fires, which can spread very quickly. An effective evacuation plan could potentially save lives.

Many of these issues can easily be prevented with the use of proper safety equipment. Simple purchases such as helmets, gloves, sleeves, reflective vest, respirators, safety glasses and hearing protection will not break the bank and can help reduce a significant amount of common injuries in the workplace.

While some HR professionals are being asked to manage safety, they may not have enough training, technical or mechanical know how. Take into account the size of your organization, use of hazardous materials or chemicals, and dangers surrounding your processes. Can he or she perform audits, assess hazards, investigate unsafe conditions, conduct safety training, and develop safety documents and resources?

For many companies, introducing the concepts of safety and risk assessments requires a cultural shift. A shift away from spending the least amount of money possible by avoiding the latest technologies, away from not meeting or exceeding industry standards, and away from current ideas about training.