Working in the industrial field, you can be at risk of serious injuries. If you work in agriculture, you could be injured by farming equipment. If you’re working in a factory, unguarded equipment could lead to amputations.

In North Carolina, employers have a responsibility to their employees. They need to keep them safe and informed on the ways to stay safe at work. Hazards are present every day in industrial workplaces, but with the right training and upkeep of machinery, most facilities should not have serious injuries taking place.

The problem occurs when staff members aren’t trained properly or when machinery fails to work correctly. Missing parts from machinery, like guards that prevent fingers from touching blades, can be a risk, too.

One of the most common workplace injuries is being caught in or compressed by machinery. In the industrial field, you may be working with large machines like oversized ovens, rotating aerators for fields or even slicing or dicing arms that cut food into shapes. These machines need to be monitored for maintenance purposes. On top of that, all employees should be trained to know how to avoid injuries and what to do if someone is pulled into or begins to be crushed by one of these machines. Employees should be trained to stop and reverse machinery as well as to handle the machines throughout maintenance stages.

When someone isn’t trained properly, accidents happen and employers can be held liable. A new teen working for a factory who gets pulled into the bladed teeth of a machine because he didn’t remember to cut the power to it while he cleaned, for instance, could be killed. An employer can be held accountable for failing to educate those who work for him or her. Our website has more information about industrial accidents, so you can learn about the steps to take after you’ve been injured.