Health, safety and wellbeing for Herbal Product Manufacturers: dust and strain on the sorting floor
Sorting, drying and grinding herbs mean hours of dust and bent posture. Complaints about eyes, breathing and backs show up first as absence and quiet resignations.
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Without a routine, sorters work at long tables under poor light, and grinders breathe fine powder through a cloth. People get red eyes, a cough that does not settle and sore backs. They do not report it, because the work is seasonal and they fear losing the next call. They simply do not come back, and the next harvest starts with fewer experienced hands.
Good looks like masks that are issued and used, a short rest on a set rhythm, seats and light fixed at the table, and a rotation that moves people between sorting, drying and packing. The supervisor asks about eyes and chest once a week, and a worker who reports a problem is moved, not sent home. It is cheap and visible.
How to set it up
1. Walk the floor with a worker, not a clipboard
Spend an hour with a sorter and a grinder and ask what hurts by end of shift. Note light, seating, dust points and heat near the dryers.
2. Fix the cheap things first
Better light over the table, seats with back support, a mask issued each shift and a place to wash. Show the crew what changed so they trust the next step.
3. Set a rotation and rest rhythm
Move people between sorting, drying and packing every few hours, with a short break away from dust. The health, safety and wellbeing work can turn this into a daily routine.
4. Ask about eyes and chest weekly
The supervisor asks each worker about eyes, cough and back in a short chat, and notes any repeated complaint. Pass repeated cases to the owner.
5. Plan lighter work for those who need it
Keep a few lighter tasks, such as labelling or counting, for workers with ongoing complaints. This keeps skilled people on the payroll rather than losing them.
Check these first
Before changing anything, find out what is true today. These take an afternoon and use your own records.
- Count how many sorters wore a mask correctly when you last walked the floor.
- Look at absence records for the weeks after the dustiest receiving days.
- Ask five workers what part of the day is hardest on the body.
- Check whether any worker has a repeated complaint with no change made.
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
Masks help, but they are one part. Cleaner air flow, damp sweeping, moving grinders away from sorting tables and rotation of tasks also cut exposure. Start with what the crew tells you hurts most, then fix the cheapest causes first.
Make it safe to speak. Move the worker to lighter work instead of sending them home without pay, and thank those who report. When people see that speaking up helps, complaints reach you earlier and cost less.
Yes, and they need it explained fast. A short briefing on the first day covering masks, breaks and who to tell is enough. Seasonal staff are often the most exposed because they work the longest hours at the peak.