Ever thought ”What’s the worst that could happen” and just continued without taking a moment to plan your approach to the Health & Safety considerations of the situation?
We all have at some point. Turns out however, the journey from grain to glass is fraught with potential hazards that can compromise not only the quality of your product but also the safety and health of those who craft it. Namely, death, fire and catastrophic environmental repercussions.
We’ll leave the fire and brimstone warnings at that, but be warned, switching off can cost you everything.
With that said, the rest of this article sheds light on the positives to be gained (to be fair, avoiding death gets the thumbs up from most) and the essential considerations that distillers must understand to maintain a safe and efficient distillery.
Understanding health & safety in distilling
Health and safety in a distillery is not just about compliance. It is about protecting the lifeblood of the distillery—the artisans who work there—and ensuring that the process from grain to bottle is as safe as it is creative.
The most important hurdle to overcome is the mindset involved. Distillery managers must recognise that a safe environment is a productive and sustainable one. A commitment to health and safety is a commitment to the craft of production itself.
Fundamentally, those who flout it are ignoring the process and mentality needed to make world class spirits (and therefore unlikely to achieve it). It de-values all those who work alongside them. It will also lead to likely issues with insurers when something inevitably goes wrong. Embrace it as part of the job and it’s far more beneficial. See it as a chore and you’ve missed the big opportunity and will have to do anyway!
Conducting a risk assessment
All distilleries should make a risk assessment before they start operations.
A risk assessment is the compass by which a distillery steers clear of danger. It involves a thorough examination of what in the distillery could cause harm, so that decisions can be made on whether enough precautions have been taken or more should be done to prevent harm.
Don’t just make one as a Health and Safety tick box exercise. Workers should be involved in this process. They can provide insights into the daily operations and potential risks (and can be trained from that point onwards too).
While it is something all do before they begin, the process is continuous. Each change in process or equipment can introduce new hazards that need to be assessed. Each new team member needs to be trained and it is a good opportunity for them to learn about what to look for.
Tackling significant hazards
A risk assessment will outline Hazards. Hazards in a distillery range from the physical, like slips and trips, to the more insidious, like long-term exposure to harmful substances / sounds.
Differentiating between a hazard (a potential source of harm) and a risk (the likelihood of the harm occurring) is vital. Grain dust, for example, is not just a nuisance but an explosive hazard and a respiratory risk.
Implementing dust extraction and proper ventilation can mitigate this. Carbon dioxide, a natural by-product of fermentation, can lead to asphyxiation in high concentrations, making monitoring systems and proper ventilation a must. Meanwhile, the flammability of alcohol requires strict controls and fire safety measures to prevent a catastrophic event.
For each of these, risk management includes identifying the hazard, reducing the likelihood of occurrence, and preparing response measures in case of an incident.
Practical health and safety measures
Practical safety measures are the nuts and bolts of a distillery’s health and safety regime. They are the tangible steps that are taken to prevent accidents and health issues. There are many examples of pragmatic, easy to implement solutions, such as…
Robust dust extraction systems to deal with grain dust, which can be explosive.
Fixed gas detection systems to monitor carbon dioxide levels and prevent suffocation, especially in fermentation areas.
Chemical storage that adheres to strict guidelines. Ensure that all substances are stored securely, labelled accurately, and segregated to prevent adverse reactions.
These measures are examples of the building blocks of a safe working environment. Their proper implementation and regular review are non-negotiable for any distillery. But don’t stop there – there are so many easy health and safety wins you can install to make it better for workers and compliant with all the relevant regulations.
Look at the flow of production to see how you can assess hazards and implement permanent, pragmatic solutions to mitigate them.
Process and equipment considerations
When selecting equipment, distillers should value features that enhance safety, such as automatic shut-off capabilities, safety interlocks, and ATEX rated components.
Regular maintenance is just as important as the initial selection, as wear and tear can lead to safety failures. This maintenance should be scheduled, systematic, and documented, with records kept for both internal reference and compliance purposes.
A good way to do this is to make it part of the monthly cleaning tasks. This ensures it’s a regular fixture being evaluated.
Creating a culture of safety
A culture of safety is one that goes beyond the individual. It’s a collective mindset where every member of the distillery team understands the value of safety protocols. This culture is fostered by a leadership team that models safe behaviour and makes safety an integral part of daily operations.
Regular safety meetings, open discussions about near-misses or incidents, and encouraging employee input on safety matters are all practices that contribute to a proactive safety culture.
It’s a big reason for why training is the keystone of health and safety. Without it, even the most comprehensive safety measures will fail. When was the last time you had a simulated emergency drill? If there is a fire in your distillery you will not have much time to react. Are you sure that everyone knows what they are supposed to do?
H&S often sounds like a lot of extra admin to be dealing with, and it’s easy to laugh it off as pedantic.
But ongoing safety education can instil mindset of vigilance that reduces the chances of it ever really being needed in a real-life situation. If you can change the mindset, you can change the odds of occurrence. If you are the employer, that means you can change the odds of needing to repair equipment, assist staff through injuries, claim insurance or worse.
One of the best ways to think of Health and Safety training is about trying to take pride in preventing something. Ensure everyone is well versed in recognising hazards. Make using personal protective equipment and handling chemicals safely according to MSDS the default.
Staying compliant with Health & Safety regulations
Compliance is both a legal requirement and a commercial one. Staying abreast of health and safety regulations is critical to avoid costly fines and potential shutdowns.
It also instils confidence in employees, customers, and stakeholders that the distillery is a reputable and responsible entity. This means engaging with industry bodies where you can. It means exceeding the minimum requirements to demonstrate a commitment to excellence in safety standards.
Moreover, by being proactively engaged in being a step ahead, it means insurers will have no issue with any claims made, should they need to be called upon.
Here are five areas to focus your efforts on at design phase.
Waste management
Craft distilling produces various wastes, from spent grains to wastewater. Proper waste management is important, not only for environmental responsibility but also for maintaining a safe workplace. Chemicals can create significant repercussions.
Ventilation
Proper ventilation is a must in any distillery. A well-designed ventilation system will mitigate risks by providing fresh air circulation, removing flammable vapours, and maintaining a comfortable working environment. This can include local exhaust ventilation at points of high vapour release and general ventilation throughout the facility.
Noise control
Distilleries can be noisy environments. They easily have the potential for sound levels to reach a point where they could impact hearing over time. It’s all too easy to think of health and safety as imminent threat and immediate impact, but think long term.
Implementing noise control measures, such as sound dampening panels, providing hearing protection and designing equipment and spaces to minimise noise production, can protect employees from hearing loss.
Ergonomics
The physical tasks involved in distilling can lead to strain injuries. Lifting heavy bags of grain, shifting hoses, pushing pallets, climbing to reach cask tags to operating machinery can be innocuous. But they can be a real strain too. By designing workspaces and tasks with ergonomics in mind, distilleries can reduce the risk of such injuries.
This might involve fully considering the height workstations, tools and equipment, or even robotics to handle the most strenuous tasks. Training staff in proper lifting techniques and encouraging regular breaks can also help mitigate ergonomic risks.
Mental health
The mental well-being of employees is as important as their physical safety. Distilleries should promote a work environment that supports mental health. It’s easy to offer resources for stress management and foster a culture that encourages open communication about mental health issues.
To maintain a healthy, happy workforce, acknowledge the stresses that can come with distillery work. Provide support as that can prevent burnout. In the long run, it costs less to do this than deal with silent quitting, and inefficient, unhappy teams.
We’ve journeyed through the H&S essentials—from understanding hazards to creating a culture of safety. If you are doing research on this subject – you can carry on reading more about distillery specific insurance in article about it next.
A lot of it requires practical, pragmatic solutions. The single biggest aspect that will reduce the chance of issues however, is the mindset. A distillery that embeds health and safety into its core is one that not only protects its team but also secures its future.
