A risk control framework for safe manufacturing workstations in view of COVID-19

Abstract

The manufacturing industry resumes operations after the COVID-19 pandemic supported by return-to-work guidelines, which are mostly personal protection measures for the workers and employees. In this paper, we propose a framework for assessing risk at the workstation level by linking the risk levels to possible mitigation strategies that can be implemented using standard operating procedures (SOP), 5S and problem-solving. Within industrial plants, operators work in close contact with coworkers and supervisors, and they are also sharing tools and machines. It is therefore, essential to develop strategies that reduce the operator’s exposure to viruses in the workplace. The purpose of this work is that when implemented, the risk assessment model and specifically how SOP, 5S and problem solving can be used to implement administrative and engineering controls resulting in a safe workplace and increasing level of confidence for the operators working within the plant.