Metalworking is by far one of the top industries in the world. Metals are everywhere, in one form or another. People deal with it daily, but how many actually think about how it is manufactured? Before getting on the market or being part of most devices, metal goes through more stages. This includes mining and manufacturing. Metalworking isn't only a top industry, but also a very risky one. The risks of mining and manufacturing can only be understood by someone working in this industry. However, the catastrophic accidents you see on the news every year from various parts of the world should give you an idea on these risks.
Safety equipment comes to prevent such issues. Mining implies the biggest risks. Whenever one gets down there, there is always the risk of gases and fire. Gases can be prevented with gas masks, while fire only depends on the workers. Methane, firedamp and other such gases are found in pockets. Sometimes they are inflammable, while other times they simply choke the workers and asphyxiate them. Collapses are also a major risk miners face. Although all the mines are sustained with fake ceilings and resistance columns, the soil is unpredictable. Safety precautions minimize these risks, but never eliminate them completely.
At the surface, the risk of collapses is out of discussion. However, the risks of metal working fluids are a major risk that affect over 1 million workers worldwide in every year. Skin contact doesn't just harm a worker's epidermis, but once the blood gets in contact with such metals, it becomes toxic and can lead to a slow death. Sometimes, workers don't even know that their blood is affected and think that a curing wound is everything they need.
Before involving with such industries, the workers are being instructed on the safety measures and equipment. They are given brochures related to it and are asked to sign for their responsibility, after all their questions and issues are being answered and solved. However, this is not a managers trick to take away the guilt from themselves, as it may seem. There are cases when the workers are the only ones responsible for their wounds or death.
Safety precautions in metalworking are just safety measures. They don't eliminate the risks completely. In most of the cases, the workers are the ones responsible for the errors leading to catastrophes and deaths. Safety equipment is therefore very important. Some aspects like the poisonous gases make it mandatory, although in some cases it is used to help a little with the various errors workers may end up with. If one individual cannot pay proper attention to self when working, the safety equipment may help him out.
Overall, safety precaution is mandatory. It obviously saves life. There are cases when the authorities found living people within days after collapses, without food or water and surrounded by poisonous gases. How did they survive? Obviously, they couldn't resist without their equipment. So even when it comes to catastrophes, you never know when your lucky day is.