It’s not news that brewery workers face risk when working in confined spaces—but this horrifying story out of California may be news to you: a worker lowered into a 50-foot drainage shaft fell to his death.
Why?
The general contractor and the subcontractor on the job did not follow permit-required procedures for working in confined spaces.
According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, brewery injuries have been on the rise the last four years, Beall Brewery Insurance reports. Read More…
A brewery fire is one of the top three most severe losses a brewery can experience, according to data from The Hanover Insurance Group. And this is the perfect time to remind brewery operators how to put wildfire prevention into effect.
Why? Because this year, wildfire is causing more damage. So far this year, there have already been 11,523 wildfire incidents, burning more than 1.8 million acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
Does that mean it’s too late to take steps to prevent wildfire at your brewery? Absolutely not. Read More…
Stress is a fact of life for the craft brewery professional. Read More…
Beall Brewery Insurance reports that work injuries involving transportation incidents remained the most common fatal event in 2020 (the most recent year for which data is available). They accounted for more than 37 percent of work-related deaths.
Beall Brewery Insurance reports that slips, trips and falls (STF) is the most frequent craft brewery loss, according to data from The Hanover Insurance Group.
While STF is an important risk for all business-owners to manage, for craft brewery management the situation is particularly complicated. So many different populations may enter the brewery. These include customers, tour-goers, outside contractors, and—of course—employees. Physical hazards common to craft breweries heighten the physical risk. These include wet or slippery floors, elevated platforms, different types of floor surfaces, and changes in floor elevation. Read More…
Did you know your brewery air quality is very important to the health and safety of its workers, and to the longevity of the brewery itself? Read More…
Breweries don’t require large supplies or varieties of chemicals in order to function. But they do use cleaners and sanitizers to keep brewery equipment safe to operate. Those materials can cause serious injury if they come in contact with skin and are not immediately washed off. Similarly, breweries may keep some flammable liquids on hand (for instance, blends of isopropyl alcohol for sanitizing brewery equipment). Read More…
Confined spaces pose a significant danger if not approached with care. In 2009, a welder who entered a fermentation tank to seal a crack set himself on fire when he lit his blowtorch in the space, which was oversaturated with oxygen. In 2011, a fermentation tank exploded at a Vermont brewery. (Of course, confined spaces are a risk for reasons other than air quality. In 2010 alone, close to 30 people died in grain entrapment incidents in the United States.) Read More…
Beall Brewery Insurance reports that studies have shown sufficient sleep can sharpen the memory, improve physical stamina, reduce stress levels, and spark creativity.
Beall Brewery Insurance Safety Guide.
