Considering that the referendum in June 2016, the UK’s relationship with the EU supply chain has been under serious scrutiny. Indoor Air Quality Testing Fears of the impact to businesses due to the import and export changes are prevalent throughout the British food manufacturing and processing industry. As further challenges are positioned on food manufacturers, producers and processors from the UK Brexit strategies, companies are quickly trying to find improvements to strengthen their position. Strategies that’ll positively impact their food production process.
Many business’s retention strategies target unnecessary expenditure, along with short term investments. Investments that’ll offer long haul financial benefits. Whole Home Air Humidifiers Typically machinery and automation are at the forefront of business retention. However, since significantly more than 90% of the expense associated with a building are related to the people in the workplace, for the majority, the first focus for consideration is Labour Productivity.
Labour Productivity reviews the company employee organisation, the amount of employee numbers, and the final output of production in terms of labour costs. Indoor Air Quality Sometimes drastic changes are made to a company’s employee resources as a result of analysing the LP. Consequently, businesses select the redundancy route to get rid of a sizable proportion of labour costs.
It is now much too common to see announcements in terms of staff cuts across the meals manufacturing and food processing industries. And for consumers, suppliers and processors alike, it has become somewhat a reason for concern. Even though the long term financial benefits of employee redundancy are fairly minimal, it appears like as opposed to being a final resort, staff cuts are being a ‘go to’ resolve for initial cost saving and business retention. – we shudder to think!
Although staff cuts require minimal or no investment and provide a trusted, short term answer to cost saving; making redundancies has its clauses. Very often, the key reason for concern of redundancy; particularly in larger, well established manufacturing businesses, centres around negative publicity and the influence it leaves on a ‘brand’ ;.It’s proven that consumers build an amount of trust and in certain respects someone relationship using their preferred and reputable brands. And when negative attention is brought upon these brands it’s commonplace with this relationship to be intervened. And so the downward financial spiral begins.
We realize that investment in automation equipment and machinery; that will rapidly increase productivity in a food manufacturing environment doesn’t come cheap. And if it will, you need to take into account how much ‘value added maintenance time’ is apt to be necessary for servicing and repairs to guarantee the smooth running of the equipment.
When investment in production equipment is not an option, it’s time to consider Labour Productivity improvements. However without reducing staff numbers or making radical changes to employment contracts. Instead, turning heads to minimal investment and long haul changes that can be made almost overnight. Changes that not merely have the potential to improve labour productivity by almost 20%, but in addition guarantees to provide engineers and maintenance teams with additional ‘value added maintenance time’ ;.Which enhances the increased productivity percentage!
It’s not uncommon for a company to overlook the physical environment around their employees. It’s also not unusual in order for them to underestimate the partnership between the quality of this environment and its employee productivity. Considerable evidence implies that a low quality workplace environment, particularly in manufacturing industries, can majorly effect on staff performance. This is emulated by the correlation between the state of employees’ health and the amount of sick related absences. You can find ways in which companies can improve the state of health across their workforce without
Among the main environmental impacts to employee health within a food manufacturing facility could be the indoor air quality. When referring to ‘air quality’ a lot of people only pay attention to outdoor air, having its concoction of smog, smoke, dust and other forms of air pollution. What folks fail to think about is Indoor Air Quality (IAQ).
Indoor Air Quality has a huge effect on employee health and productivity. To perform effectively within their roles, the air circulation, extraction and ventilation ought to be optimised to guarantee the health and comfort of employees. The repercussions from poor IAQ are extensive and links have already been built to headaches, rashes, respiratory difficulties, asthma, heart and liver damage and even cancers.
A series of studies and experiments have already been performed and evidence shows significant improvements in employee performance by efficiently removing airborne pollutants through extraction. And providing outdoors supply and circulation provides a positive effect on comfort and health. However, in low or nontoxic environments like food factories, processing facilities, and administration offices, it’s hard to recognise just how much airborne pollution could actually be in circulation.
Poor IAQ is generally caused by contamination from Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s). VOC’s are organic chemicals which have a higher vapour pressure at room temperature. This high pressure causes large numbers of molecules to evaporate in to the air, causing contamination of the workplace environment. VOC’s can emanate from several unlikely applications; from computers and printers, manufacturing machinery, construction materials, furniture and furnishings, floor coverings and cleaning products.
All of these products and applications omit a range of VOC’s, including formaldehyde, toluene and other chemical solvents. To add to the contamination, heat made by machinery and technical equipment accelerates the diffusion of emissions in to the surrounding air. And since, typically as a nation, we spend 90% of our time indoors and higher than a third of the in the workplace, the importance of workplace quality of air becomes apparent.
Understanding where and how air moves around within a production facility doesn’t just improve employee productivity, but it also offers other important benefits. Ventilation mapping, air supply and extraction are central to food manufacturing compliance audits; ensuring hygiene and safety to legal requirements. Furthermore, clean air handling is essential for maintaining separation between high care and low care areas. When they are effectively managed they are able to reduce the quantity of financial loss related to down-time from contamination.
Small changes to the air mapping and air handling within a manufacturing facility could be made to improve cognitive performance and productivity. Consequently, significantly boosting labour productivity along with manufacturing output. As a result, increasing employee retention and reducing labour costs and unnecessary expenditure.
Initial outlays for a much better IAQ could be as low as a few hundred pounds, depending on the physical size of a small business and the air handling products and services which are required. However, once it’s completed the business potential of 20% increased Labour Productivity, significantly reduced outgoing costs from inefficient air handling and limiting the likelihood of a negative brand reputation, far outweighs the investment. But primarily, it even changes the strategy from business retention to business development!