West Bend considers light manufacturing operations to include manufacturers of small stamped, rolled, turned, pressed, cut, machined, or soldered/welded products or component parts that are made from material other than wood. Operations generally produce items that are simple in nature and physically small.
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OSHA estimates power industrial trucks (PIT), commonly called forklifts, cause about 85 fatal accidents per year, 34,900 accidents resulting in serious injury, and 61,800 non-serious accidents. Approximately 42% of PIT-related fatalities involve being crushed by a PIT that's tipped over; 25% involve being crushed between the vehicle and a surface. The industries with the highest percentage of fatality claims include manufacturing (42.5%) and construction (23.8%). According to OSHA, 70% of all PIT accidents could have been avoided. West Bend's loss prevention team put together a technical bulletin including safety tips, procedures and information on inspections. Read, download and post it in your facility as a visual reminder!
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Manufacturers Errors & Omissions coverage extends the basic General Liability policy to provide payment when you (as the insured) must legally pay for damages for faulty workmanship, materials, or products. The damages must result from error, omission, or negligent act while acting in your business capacity, or from a defect in material, or in a product sold or installed by your business.
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As a manufacturing, machine shop, or metalworking operation, there may come a day when the material used to make your product is faulty or the part(s) made by your company are incorrectly machined. Did you know your General Liability policy doesn’t cover damage to your product or faulty workmanship?
When it comes to safety and compliance, knowing where to begin is often the biggest obstacle employers face. Between OSHA compliance, state laws, and various insurance rules and regulations, it can be a daunting task. When I visit a manufacturing shop, I want to make sure there are several key safety plans in place. If you don’t have these safety plans in place, this could be a good place for you to start.
Several severe injuries recently occurred in metal fabrication operations and machine shops insured by West Bend. These accidents resulted from in-rolling nip points, inadequately guarded punch presses, and other improperly-guarded manufacturing machinery. These losses will significantly influence the manufacturers’ future Workers’ Compensation premiums and WC mods. What’s worse, these accidents caused extremely severe, potentially life-changing injuries to valuable employees.
