In the previous blog, we have dealt with hazards inherent in the cast house operations. Activities in blast furnace such as opening of tap-holes, moving of anti-splash covers and monitoring of molten metal levels, all are potentially high-risk. Specific operational know-how and practical demonstration of said skill is sacrosanct – hence the accurate knowledge delivery and precision methods which allow workforce learnings. For these, animation becomes a functional solution.

Check first, operate second

But for the workmen involved, the environmental conditions inside plants can cause accidents and expose workers to unhealthy and unpleasant microclimate. For example, existing furnaces that receive and prepare liquid metal, devices for their filtering and new equipment for casting rods, all emanate high noise levels. Here, it is difficult to completely eliminate noise, so the only measure one can undertake is prevention.

Preventive approaches propagated via animation movies can overcome such hurdles. Animated layout plan of an industry with placements of such high-noise machines can help prepare workers, well in advance about the present hazards.

Moreover, in acts such as – Workers need to be more careful, as their mere presence can adversely affect their health. They are introduced to numerous physical and chemical hazards at a time. Plus, steam blasts are common in metallurgy industries – it can injure or claim lives of the workers. Other risks and hazards are:

• Splashes of molten materials
• Use and movement of hot equipment
• Workers moving around the area

Never substitute your PPE

Animation is a one multimedia tool that has an optimal educational impact on anyone who sees it. For workers in cast houses, this means encouraging them to work under safety guidelines – wearing protective gear such as hearing protectors or ear plugs, protective suits, helmets and goggles, and respiratory protection for harmful gases. Videos can also highlight the importance of signage’s, labels and information displays about risks and warning labels.

Animated videos also have the potential to put-forth the risks and hazards through an effective story-arc, wherein a potential or real-life incident or scenario can be recreated for better understanding.

All of these processes require strict following of SOPs. With a superior attention span based engagement for audiences, animation can help to create:

• End-to-end SOPs
• Summarize complex procedures and provide a stepwise breakdown analysis for better understandability
• Higher recall value through precision visualization

Proper care and supervision is mandatory to ensure that neither production nor the workforce suffers. Safety inspections are therefore critical to spot issues.

Video learnings have the potential to drill down and answer the ‘why and how’ of inspections. Workmen are better attuned and cooperate well when they understand and realize the gravity of safety supervisions.

Animation videos can bring behavioral changes in the workers – when videos present specific industrial scenarios with a mix of images, voiceovers and texts, it connects well with them. Clarity enables them to eliminate their predefined notions about safety, risks and hazards in the workplace. It takes a concrete form in their minds, they tend to carry their understandings wherever they go, and help foster a better safety culture.

Industrial animation for OHS and EHS learning not only has the capability to deliver superior ROIs – it has revolutionized safety understandings for a diverse and multilingual workforce spread over different geographies.

Safety trainings through animation are readily consumable, they do not require repeated investments, and their distribution for large operations is simple. To maintain better compliance and reduce occupational risks in cast houses – animation is the 360 degree measure that can encompass evaluation, measurement, analysis, execution – from a safety, health and productive operations standpoint.