Germany is known to have some of the strictest health and safety laws in Europe. However, like many countries today, it faces numerous employment challenges. In the coming years, the baby boomer generation are set to retire, leaving a potentially large skills gap in its wake.
All industries are facing difficulties in both employee safety and upcoming skills shortages. However, the manufacturing sector is set to be particularly hard hit. Here, we’ll look at how German manufacturers are ensuring employee safety.
Focusing on comfort within the workplace
To accommodate the aging workforce, German manufacturers like Porsche have been making changes to their workplace. A focus on comfort helps to ensure older workers can work more efficiently. Ergonomic comfort ensures workers don’t develop repetitive strains or injuries.
Porsche’s Leipzig factory also schedules worker’s shifts so they only work for one hour doing the same job. They are then rotated to other jobs for an hour and so on. This is just one example of how German businesses are working to boost the safety of older workers. In 2019, it was expected that it would be the first year that workers over the age of 60 would outnumber those aged under 30. It is a growing issue for German manufacturers, but these types of measures are helping to deal with the challenges presented.
Machinery maintenance
Another thing manufacturers are doing to keep their employees safe, is regular machinery maintenance. Working within manufacturing can be a dangerous job, particularly if equipment and machinery aren’t maintained.
Issues need to be picked up on pretty quickly and this can only be done through regular maintenance. Because German businesses are prioritising their employees safety, they are investing in machinery safety equipment through businesses such as RS Components and other leading brands to help improve their employees safety and prolong their working life.
Employee support
Although challenging, German manufacturing companies are also focusing on offering employee support. This includes flexible working and retirement packages for aging workers. Giving older employees the opportunity to work more flexible hours enables them to stay in the workforce longer. Retirement benefits also help to provide financial support where it’s needed.
There are a number of measures German companies are taking to ensure employee safety. The above are just some of the ways the manufacturing sector is addressing current employee safety challenges. There are a number of issues which come from an aging workforce in manufacturing and the acquisition of younger talent is also crucial.