Influence of operational management on accidents in a candy production plant

Abstract

The present investigation was carried out in a company that is dedicated to the production of candies; one of its main characteristics being the high incidence of accidents accompanied by the lack of involvement in occupational health and safety prevention by the operational command level (production supervisors and maintenance supervisors). The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between operational management and accident prevention; using the following methodology: 1. A survey that allowed to measure the perception of the collaborators on the management of prevention of work accidents of the operational command level before and after the application of the pre-experimental stage. 2. The pre-experimental stage, in which the operational level used identification cards and resolution of unsafe acts and unsafe conditions with the aim of reducing the occurrence of work accidents, this instrument was applied in an area with a total of 66 collaborators. Among the most relevant results, the following stand out: 1. The variation in the management of the production supervisor and the maintenance supervisor considerably impacted the accident rate indicator in the production plant, reporting a 50% reduction at the end of the investigation. 2. The operational command level obtained favorable results in the final perception survey, reporting that 83% of the collaborators considered that there was an improvement in leadership and involvement in the prevention of work accidents.