Compliance in factories and production companies: this is how you go about it!

If you work in a factory, production line or assembly hall, you will have to comply with all kinds of laws and regulations. Not only when it comes to the quality of the products that leave your company, but financial matters and working conditions also require attention. That's why it's important that you don't see compliance as just another checkbox that you check off.

Especially in the workplace, these strict, or sometimes a bit dusty, rules can provide important and meaningful frameworks in the field of safety, quality and sustainability. If you ignore that too easily, you will not only risk a fine. Dangerous, unhealthy situations can also occur with harmful consequences for your product and, even worse, the employee.

In this blog, we'll zoom in on what the role of workplace compliance can be and how you can ensure that your employees also have the right knowledge and skills in their DNA.

What do we mean by compliance?‍

“Compliance is working in accordance with applicable laws and regulations,” says everyone's friend Wikipedia. In short, it's about complying with the laws and regulations. In addition, we also speak of compliance when you work according to an organisation's internal norms, values and house rules.

Nowadays, in most sectors, ISO certification is very important for the survival of an organisation. This is really a textbook example of a situation where compliance is necessary to qualify for the coveted certificate.

Compliance in the production sector — what should you consider?‍

When most people think of the word “compliance”, they think of the financial, banking world. This is not surprising, because once upon a time, during the financial crisis of 2008, there was indeed the cradle of supervising the strict compliance with laws and regulations within organisations.

Due to internationalisation, but also due to increasing unrest in the world, rules are playing an increasingly important role in the daily economy, and not just in the financial sector for a long time. Manufacturing companies also have to deal with compliance. To give just a few examples:

• Do you comply with all tax, import and export laws and regulations?
• Does the manufacture of your product take place in an environmentally friendly way?
• Do the schedules comply with the Working and Rest Time Act?
• Are employees not being discriminated against or bullied?
• Is there a safe and comfortable workplace?
• Do your employees have the right protective equipment?
• Do your trucks and vans meet environmental requirements?

Most customers prefer an ISO-certified supplier because they can count on good quality and sustainable production. In addition, as an employer, you have a heavy duty of care when it comes to the well-being of your employees. For example, if you do not comply with the collective labor agreement or the Working Conditions Act, then fines are not only looming, but you are also in terms of employer branding 1-0 behind.

In short, it is important for all parties that both your production method and the product are compliant. So it's not surprising that we wanted to highlight the topic of “compliance in factories and the production sector” in a blog.

How do you ensure that your factory, production line or assembly hall complies with all rules?

‍When starting your business, you undoubtedly deliberated and, for good reason, designed your production process in a certain way. But the world is constantly changing, and with it the laws and regulations.

How can you keep up with these changes and ensure that your company is and remains compliant? We give you a number of practical tools.

1. Follow regulations closely

Changes in laws and regulations can have a major impact on your production process. That's why it's smart to:

• regularly checking updates via industry organisations and government websites;
• to appoint a compliance officer or team who not only ensures that your production process is compliant, but also that your employees are well aware of and comply with the rules;
• using software tools that warn against changes in legislation or relevant technical developments.
  

2. Make compliance part of your company culture

Compliance shouldn't be a separate task that you occasionally come across by chance. Embed it well in your organisation's DNA and make it part of your company culture. That starts with:

• Awareness: Make sure all employees understand the basic principles of compliance. This can be done via workouts, e-learning or regular toolbox meetings on location about a compliance topic.
• Leadership: As a manager, lead by example by consistently applying the rules themselves. When management takes compliance seriously, employees automatically follow suit.
• Transparency: Make compliance negotiable and inquire your employees regularly about existing and new legislation via newsletters or meetings. Harness the power of repetition!

3. Invest in technology and automation

Developments are happening rapidly and are happening in various areas. It can therefore be a job to always stay up to date. Make it easy for yourself. Many compliance processes can be set up more easily and efficiently by using technology. For example, consider:

• Sensors and Internet of Things (IoT): connect smart devices to the internet, making it easier to monitor the safety and environmental impact of the production process in real time.
• Automatic reporting: set up your systems in such a way that you automatically receive recent reports about the production process.
• Online knowledge platform: with a knowledge platform accessible to everyone, you can make training employees accessible and easy. This includes not only courses or training courses — user manuals or emergency numbers can also be a useful part.
  

4. Motivate your employees for compliance

Admittedly, laws and regulations don't score very high on the average employee's interest ladder. Quite difficult, because complying with rules is not only a matter of must, but also of will. A few tips that can help employees embrace compliance:

• Make it personal: 'What's in it for me?” is always an important question when it comes to creating support. So show employees how rules contribute to their own safety and well-being.
• Reward good behavior or contribute ideas: Put teams or employees that are proactively committed to compliance in the limelight. Invite to share ideas, and offer a prise for a gamechanger in the production process.
• Visualise compliance: Make the effect of certain measures literally visible by simulating a situation. This can be done on location, but also in a video or online training. By making rules tangible in this way, employees feel more actively involved and will apply them more spontaneously.
• Use gamification: Think of game elements such as a quiz, simulation game or challenges to make compliance more fun.
• Create a positive reporting culture: Encourage employees to speak to each other when rules are deviated from. And encourage employees to suggest risks and areas for improvement without fear of negative consequences. Surprising, easily applicable ideas can come from the workplace, so take advantage of them!

5. Evaluate and adjust

Has there been a (near-) incident, or are there, for example, a Employee Satisfaction Survey complaints about certain rules? Then it is useful to preferably sit down with each other in a multidisciplinary way for an evaluation. Discuss what's going on with an open mind, and see where a process could be improved. Sometimes it seems necessary to say goodbye to a certain way of working, and that probably doesn't go down well with everyone (after all, a person is a creature of habit).

Again, ensure clear, timely communication to increase support. ‍

Want to know more about compliance in production locations?‍

Compliance can be quite complicated. Want to make sure you don't miss anything? Experience the power of Pluvo for yourself! Click here for a demo or call +31 (20) 560 5001.