Manufacturers across virtually every industry are implementing smart technologies to streamline production. AI adoption, smart automation, and clean technology initiatives are all coming together to center around automated solutions that can do more without direct human intervention. For pharmaceutical manufacturers in the middle of optimizing their facilities around smart technology, this includes digitization and more analytics, smart quality control and monitoring systems, and automated machinery that can handle every stage, from raw materials to packaging. But smart pharma factories still need people—and that means they need pharmaceutical facility safety measures indoors and along the rooftop to keep these people safe.
It might seem like capital investments in smart, computer-controlled systems can replace investments in conventional safety hardware. But the role of humans in cutting-edge pharmaceuticals development is as indispensable as ever. Your facility needs people inside conducting equipment cleaning operations and repairs, and your facility needs people on the rooftop inspecting, maintaining, and upgrading facility systems. To keep your smart facility running in good shape, take a closer look at the tasks that still demand humans and the OSHA-compliant roof safety systems that protect them.
Smart systems are taking on more and more of the repetitive tasks in pharmaceuticals manufacturing, but there are many processes that require human thought and dexterity. These go beyond strategic initiatives, financial planning, and acting on product roadmaps—the creative side of business operations that AI hasn't quite captured—and include logistical and operational tasks that keep facilities physically running:
AI systems can implement visual inspections and monitor increasingly complex mazes of sensors that proactively detect machinery deviations. But people still need to go in. Internal employees need to conduct internal audits, assess the machinery and facility, and make sure things don't slip through the cracks. This is part of complying with Good Manufacturing Practices—even if the machinery is overseeing production, someone needs to oversee the machinery.
Third-party inspectors, including vendors, government officials, and union representatives, also need to go in. They might be conducting safety audits, compliance inspections for different regulatory bodies like the FDA, and mechanical assessments and tune-ups.
There have been explorations into robotics-powered maintenance, but by and large, this remains a human endeavor—and it's one critically important in pharmaceutical production. If your processing equipment has even small errors or misalignments, this can cause improper dosages, deviations from product requirements, and discrepancies between the labels and the products. Left unchecked, these problems compound into larger errors and costly equipment breakdowns.
Humans also conduct cleaning maintenance operations. This includes replacing filters, sterilizing equipment, removing dust and debris from work surfaces, and keeping cleanrooms operating. On a larger scale, it also means facility system maintenance: HVAC systems, water purification and treatment systems, and gas and furnace systems.
Humans also play a vital role in repairs. While smart technology may know when a part goes bad and can even automatically order one, it can't replace old gaskets or install new FDA-grade tubing. Smart systems may have even less insight into rooftop units, which, apart from needing to withstand the elements and a different array of potential hazards, are also typically far away from any robotics and fine-tuned visual inspection programs.
When you know where humans are necessary, you know where to prioritize your pharmaceutical facility safety efforts. While this will include fall protection measures inside your facility, like protecting employees from falls when they’re accessing the top of tall machinery or navigating warehouses and docks, it's also important to prioritize roof safety systems. Assess your facility's existing roof safety systems to find gaps and out-of-compliance hardware, focusing on the following:
Rooftop machine enclosures can house large-scale machinery systems, including HVAC and electrical systems. Some machine guarding systems block dangerous machinery from accidental contact, and others serve as a system of handholds for technicians who need to safely reach the top of the equipment without slipping and falling. Assess your current rooftop installations to determine if you need machine enclosures or if your machine enclosures fall short of regulatory standards.
Rooftop access points present a large fall hazard for people both using them and standing near them. Staircases and ladders both represent a sudden change in elevation, and without the right fall protection, someone might accidentally fall through them. Stairways commonly require safety gates with self-closing mechanisms. Ladders, especially ladders on the exterior side of a building, often require enclosures that run the entire height of the ladder, as well as guardrails that encircle the hatchway. Your specific building may also require harnesses and active fall protection systems for tall ladders.
When technicians and inspectors are working on the rooftop of your building, they often need to wear fall protection harnesses. These are active forms of fall protection: where if a wearer falls, the lifelines snap into action and suspend them within just a few feet of the fall point. If someone is working along the exterior edge or the vertical face of your building, they will wear harnesses to stay suspended while completing tasks.
OSHA- and CCOHS-compliant systems will need a heavy-duty roof fall protection anchor where people can fix the end of their lifeline and lanyards into place. These anchor points can be permanently fixed on the building, or you can use mobile fall restraint anchor points on flat rooftops.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, assess the guardrails around the rooftop. All the walkways and areas that require regular access should be enclosed by a system of OSHA compliant guardrails. These systems prevent people from accidentally falling over an unprotected edge or stumbling into an unseen hatchway. Guardrails are also an important visual cue: they mark where safe pathways are and where the end of a safe rooftop space is.
As your company creates increasingly advanced pharmaceutical production sites, it's still important to invest in human safety systems and OSHA-required hardware. Investing in rooftop safety systems makes it easier for internal employees and third-party technicians to conduct repairs, perform maintenance, and ensure your smart facility is in excellent operational condition. At BlueWater by Tractel, we specialize in rooftop safety, and we provide OSHA compliant guardrails, roof fall protection anchor points, and comprehensive roof safety systems. Contact us today to see how we can work together to improve your pharmaceutical facility safety.
