Problem
There are numerous situations throughout industry with trapping and entanglement hazards. The present machine guarding regulations require that all dangerous parts of a machine must be provided with guards. These guards must be solidly constructed, securely mounted and maintained, and constantly kept in position when the machine is in use or motion.
To protect the operator and comply with legal requirements a company using a cold heading machine for nail production decided to enclose the machine. There was a trapping space between the die and the ram of the header. In addition, the flywheel had the potential to entangle any loose clothing of the operator.
Solution
An acoustically lined enclosure was constructed from 1.6 mm mild steel sheet to entirely surround the machine. To ensure adequate access, the enclosure was arranged on pipe trolleys so that it could be easily removed by the operator and replaced when access was required. This operation was interlocked via a motion detection device, to ensure that withdrawal of a locking pin and removal of the guard could not occur while the machine was in motion.
Hierarchy of Controls:
Engineering
Benefit
- The acoustically lined enclosure had the added advantage of reducing the noise level of the header. This improved employee morale.