Health, safety and wellbeing for Adhesive Manufacturers: drums, solvents and sticky work
Adhesive work means heavy bags, filled drums, sticky residue and solvents or heat. Safety here covers lifting, skin and vapour contact, hot melt burns and mixer cleaning.
Not sure what you need? Tell us about your business in six short steps and we will come to the first meeting prepared.
Share your requirementsWhy health, safety and wellbeing matters in adhesive manufacturers
Charging bags and moving drums by hand bring back and shoulder trouble that shows as absence. Mixer cleaning is done by the newest helper, with a scraper and solvent, in a closed space, with little guidance. Hot melt machines burn hands if a cover is left off. Filling lines run in a hurry before a season, and skin rashes and cuts are shrugged off. People hide small injuries because they fear being blamed.
Good practice gives trolleys for drums, a lift limit per person and a rest pattern for the charging crew. Mixer cleaning has a written method, proper gloves and a second person for closed space work. Hot melt machines have guards and a warm-up routine. Skin and vapour complaints are asked about on a regular basis, and injuries are reported and followed up without blame.
How to set it up
1. Ask the charging and cleaning crews what hurts
Spend a shift with them and list the tasks that cause back pain, skin trouble or breathing complaints. Ask which task they would redesign first.
2. Provide handling aids and a lift rule
Drum trolleys, a bag lifting rule and a rotation for heavy tasks. Review the rota against your health, safety and wellbeing plan.
3. Write the mixer cleaning method
Gloves, ventilation, who is present and the order of work, agreed with the people who do it. Give it to the newest helper with a buddy.
4. Check hot melt and filling machine guards
Walk the machines with the operator and the maintenance lead, and note any guard, cover or warm-up step that is skipped.
5. Keep a small injury and complaint log
Cuts, rashes, coughs and strains in one place, reviewed each month by the supervisor and owner, with one fix chosen each time.
Check these first
Before changing anything, find out what is true today. These take an afternoon and use your own records.
- Count back, shoulder and skin complaints by section in the last six months.
- Watch the next mixer cleaning and note who does it, what they wear and what guidance they have.
- Ask hot melt operators what they do when a guard gets in the way.
- Check whether minor injuries are recorded or only serious ones.
GullyHR can do this with you. Read how we approach health, safety and wellbeing in general, or share your requirements and we will tell you where to start.
Questions owners ask
Use trolleys and tilt stands, limit the load per person and rotate heavy tasks. Ask the crew to suggest changes, since they know where the strain is.
It can be, especially in closed spaces or with solvents. Use a written method, the right gloves and a second person present. Ask a qualified professional about closed space rules.
They fear blame, lost pay or being moved off the job. Show that reports lead to fixes, not punishment, and pay for first aid and medical visits promptly.