Help on a safety issue...

Hello boys and girls...

After a near miss the other week on a machine at work... I have been tasked to get some information on current machine safety legislation and help to implement it accross our site. Obviously there are alot of different standards / legislation world wide but currently I am only interested in the UK.

So far this is where Im at:-

- Highlight the machines / areas that have the same potential to cause an accident simaler to my previous situation.
(done)

- Find out the currect legislation and requirements to fufill them.

- Liais with my health and safety officer and complete a risk assessment for each type of machine / area / operation and outline the safety level requirement to fulfill the legislation and risk assessment.

- I dentify the two main manufactures of safety devices that we presently imploy

- Get them in to see what they can offer defined by the results of the risk assessement and legislation

- Once this is decided install throughout site and use these as a site standard for this operation type.

- Once the obvious areas are in check review other operations and standerdise and improve.

So I am reaching out to you guys to see firstly what you think, and maybe point me in the right direction. I have been doing some research online, as Im presently on holiday but thats about it. I have found some decent information already but again you lot may be aware or better..

Thank you again

You will probably need to generate method statement/s for each machine. Your health & safety officer will be able to better advise you on the requirement in your plant. Review the risk assessment for each different machine / process using these method statements.
The reason for the plural is that there may be a requirement for 1 or more statements for any maintainance tasks on the machines which will vary considerably from the operator jobs and present different hazards.

Hi

Also you will need to look at the en standards for different types of machines.
Are you using light curtains, have you got presses , are they stand alone or is it a line.
You will have to do or get a risk assessment done on each machine to see wavy Saftey level you will be to achive. This will then tell you what will need to be added.
If you look at the new machine directive it is a good place to start.
Both Rockwell and Pilz have some great information on their sites
Which is free to download. Just Remember if you change any safety circuit you are now the owner of that circuit.

Donnchadh

Hi be careful that you don't become the fallguy for any future accidents etc

I would consider using a safety consultant to shift any blame if your not qualified in safety engineering

Alternatively would get company to train me in the following

http://www.tuv-sud.co.uk/uk-en/indu...nery-safety/machinery-safety-training-courses

Donnchadh said:

Hi

Are you using light curtains, have you got presses , are they stand alone or is it a line.

You will have to do or get a risk assessment done on each machine to see what Saftey level you will be to achive. This will then tell you what will need to be added.
If you look at the new machine directive it is a good place to start.
Both Rockwell and Pilz have some great information on their sites
Which is free to download.

Donnchadh

Click to expand...

We currently have 6 lines. 3 x canning, 2 x bottle and a keg line. All the lines have similar pieces if equipment i.e depalletisers, empty container inspectors, fillers etc all of which are in a line. We currently use different type of safety devices e.g. safety interlocks, light barriers, castle keys but currently rely on the oem to offer the level of protection they deem necessary.

There are certain areas which have been highlighted where personal are required to enter certain machine areas and the present safety device has failed and a near miss created.. presently i know how to rectify the issue so this dosent happen again but would like to know the actual requirement so we are covered legally and also can create a suitable site standard for this operation.

I have already spent some time on the pilz website and as suggested is very helpful. I intend of getting a sales rep in later on see what info / training they can offer.

cjd1965 said:

Hi be careful that you don't become the fallguy for any future accidents etc

Alternatively would get company to train me in the following

http://www.tuv-sud.co.uk/uk-en/indu...nery-safety/machinery-safety-training-courses

Click to expand...

Yeah this had crossed my mind. I have been given some control on training I may require but presently trying to get as much info / guidance as possible to see what training would best fit our requirements.

Welcome to the minefield that is 'health & safety' regulations and 'risk assessment'

Operators and workers are idiots and will stick their hands/fingers/body/objects or whatever where they shouldn't. And when someone is injured or even killed, boy does the brown stuff hit the fan.
Then the witch-hunt begins to find who is culpable and you will be one of the people in the firing line.

Make sure everything is documented and signed off as safe. (I even take photographs to prove it was safe and correct)

My view is very coloured as a few years ago (I even reported it on here) a man was killed on a machine I designed the safeties for. You wouldn't want to go through that - I was interviewed by everyone including the police and treat like a criminal.

The man who was killed defeated every safety and ignored the obvious hazards and was also very unlucky. It was concluded that I had done my job above and beyond the regulations and was in no way to blame. All the same, I was terrified and questioned myself with could I have done more.

Don't put yourself in that position.

Are your lines designed and installed as a turn key package by an outside contractor, or do you engineer them yourself?
If it is a turn key package, the principal contractor should ensure the system is CE marked, which means all the risk assesments, method statements, process & maintenance docs, drawings etc should already be available.
If your company does an amount of the design or is effectively the principal contractor supervising other companies, then it falls on your company to make sure the line is CE marked and has all the documentation completed.

For our major projects where we have responsibility to meet the CE marking, we have brought in an outside specialist - it is an absolute minefield of legislation. Last time we used Laidler Associates who are now part of TUV.

I suspect your big problem will be that a lot of your facilities have evolved over time, so bringing any equipment up to the latest standards will be prohibitively expensive.
If as part of your risk assesments you identify equipment or processes that need improvement, and you make what could be classed as a major change to that equipment, then you are supposed to bring the rest of the machine up to the latest standards and have it CE marked.

Get some external specialist help would be my advice!

http://ehstoday.com/safety/management/risk-assessment-machine-safeguarding-process-0609
Here's what Omron/ STI recommends. As stated by several, you don't want to get yourself caught in the middle of a mishap.