Safe Operation of Machinery Equipment Training Resource

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Introduction

The use of machinery has many benefits and can be a valuable resource within the workplace, however, it’s important to follow recommended health and safety procedures as they can be dangerous if not used properly. This resource provides basic guidance on the safe use of machinery and provides information on associated hazards & risks and the recommended safety measures needed to control them.

The resource begins with general information before focusing on individual types of relevant machinery.

How accidents happen

For all types of machinery, most accidents happen to operators during normal operation e.g., loading or unloading components, removing swarf, taking measurements or making adjustments.

On manually operated machines, the most dangerous machine movements are the rotating, cutting, shearing, sawing or pressing movements of tools, particularly on the following equipment.

  • Presses.
  • Drilling machines.
  • Milling machines.
  • Lathes.
  • Metal cutting saws.
  • Guillotines.
  • Grinding machines.

Hands are most frequently injured, the most numerous being cuts and abrasions, many of which are severe and broken bones and dislocations are also common. Amputations of fingers and hands are frequent and there are some fatalities each year, often arising from entanglements, whilst eye injuries are also common.

Many accidents also happen to setters, electricians and maintenance personnel during set-up, inspection, fault-finding, maintenance and repair.

Causes of ill health

Recognised causes of ill health from the use of machinery commonly arise from the following areas.

  • Unsafe and repetitive movement when handling components which can cause back injuries and upper limb disorders.
  • Skin contact with metalworking fluids which may cause skin irritation and dermatitis.
  • Fumes from metalworking fluids which may cause irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, and occasionally breathing difficulties such as bronchitis and asthma.
  • Sharp edges and swarf which may cause cuts and can exacerbate dermatitis
  • High noise levels from machinery which may affect hearing and can cause deafness.
  • Vibration, particularly when grinding.

Control Measures

The introduction and use of control measures will reduce the likelihood of accidents occurring and the risk of ill health, some common control measures include the following.

  • Use fixed guards with jigs and fixtures such as sliding trays to load and unload components away from the tools.
  • Use fixed guards with safe means of removing swarf.
  • Use fixed and interlocking guards or safety devices providing equivalent protection at automatic and CNC machines to ensure all dangerous movements are guarded.
  • Control noise by engineering means at source or adapt and extend guards to serve as noise enclosures e.g., by lining them with noise absorbent materials.
  • Use guards to help enclose and control hazardous substances with LEV where appropriate.

Training essentials

As well as following the general rules for safe operation and adhering to recommended control measures, operators should also know the following.

  • What the main dangers are, how the main safeguards work and who should be notified of any defects.
  • How to start, operate and stop the machine safely.
  • What to wear e.g., protective equipment and what not to wear e.g., loose clothing.
  • How to load and unload components, remove swarf and adjust coolant flow safely.
  • Not to clean machines using compressed air to blow material away, industrial vacuum cleaners or brushes should be used.
  • How to work safely with any metalworking fluids used.

Inspection of work equipment

The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) imposes requirements covering a range of areas relating to machinery in the workplace including safe use, maintenance, training and inspection.

Inspection of work equipment should be carried out where a significant risk of injury (one which could foreseeably result in a major injury or worse) may result from any of the following.

  • Incorrect installation or reinstallation of the equipment.
  • Deterioration of the work equipment leading to danger.
  • As a result of exceptional circumstances which could affect the safe operation of the work equipment, e.g., if it’s damaged.

Inspection is necessary when equipment or parts of equipment deteriorate and lead to danger and where this will not be adequately controlled through operator checks. The purpose of an inspection is to identify whether the equipment can be operated, adjusted or maintained safely and that any deterioration or damage can be detected and remedied before it results in unacceptable risks.

Inspections should include visual and functional checks of the equipment and sometimes testing. This will depend on the complexity of the equipment, on where and how it is used and on what the risks to health or safety could be if the equipment is operated in an unsafe condition.

Drilling and reaming

Accidents

Most accidents that happen during the use of drilling machines are related to the following situations, by following correct safety procedures the likelihood of these occurring will be reduced.

  • Hair getting caught on rotating spindles, chucks or tools.
  • Entanglement of gloves, clothing, bandages and rings, usually at the drill tip.
  • Violent spinning of the workpiece because of poor clamping causing scalping injuries, broken bones.
  • Not wearing eye protection causing eye injuries from machine cleaning, swarf removal and unenclosed machining.
  • Production of swarf, causing cuts.

Health risks

Most ill health arises from unsafe handling, harmful metalworking fluids and/or too much noise. Risks from handling and metalworking fluids may be higher at manually operated machines used for batch production because of more frequent loading/unloading and contact with fluids.

Control measures

Following correct safety procedures when using the drill machine will reduce the likelihood of accidents occurring. For small manually operated bench drilling machines used for a variety of one-off jobs, it is recommended to ensure the following key control measures are in place.

  • Fixed adjustable guard adjusted so the spindle and drill tip are guarded to the greatest extent practicable.
  • Vice clamped securely to table.

Training essentials

In addition to the general rules for safe operation of machinery, for drilling machines, users should be trained to do the following.

  • To wear eye protection.
  • Not to Wear jewellery, loose clothing or long hair not tied back.
  • Not to wear gloves, unless complete enclosure of rotating chucks, spindles and attached rotating parts is provided.
  • Not to leave chuck keys in chucks.

Pressing

Accidents

The most common accidents associated with press machines are fingers or hands being amputated or crushed between closing tools, either when loading and unloading components or when setting up.

Health risks

Most ill health arises from unsafe handling, noise from the impact of tools on workpieces & air ejection and handling of workpieces during highly repetitive batch production.

Control measures

Following correct safety procedures when using the press machine will reduce the likelihood of accidents occurring. It is also very important to ensure the back and sides of the press are guarded and that no-one can reach under, around or over any guards in place covering dangerous parts.

Grinding

Accidents

Common accidents associated with the use of grinding machinery include the following.

  • Injury from contact with rotating abrasive wheels.
  • Injury from bursting wheels – sometimes fatal.
  • Cutting and crushing injuries from trapping between the wheel and work rest.
  • Fires and explosions arising from poor control of grinding dust.
  • Eye injuries from the failure to wear eye protection or use protective screens.

Health risks

Known health risks associated with the use of grinding machinery include the following.

  • Unsafe handling.
  • Harmful metalworking fluids.
  • Vibration from hand fed or hand-held grinding machines.
  • Noise from the grinding operation itself.
  • Inhaling the harmful dust/fume generated.

Control measures

Recommended control measures to reduce the likelihood of injury or risk to health when using grinding machinery include the following.

  • Restrict the opening of guards only to the level needed to enable work to be done.
  • Use guards of sufficient strength to contain fragments of bursting wheels.
  • Use a well-adjusted work rest.
  • Check rpm of spindle is clearly marked.
  • Ensure an easily accessible and operated on/off switch.
  • Always clear floor area.

Training essentials

As well as following the general rules for safe operation and adhering to recommended control measures, users of grinding machinery should be trained in and understand the benefits of the following safety practices.

  • To use the correct wheel and machine for the job.
  • Not to grind on the sides of straight-sided wheels used for offhand grinding.
  • To keep wheels used for offhand grinding trued and dressed to reduce out of balance and enable work rests to be adjusted close to the wheel.
  • To lubricate spindles regularly.
  • To never use cracked or damaged wheels.
  • To run new wheels free for about a minute with persons standing clear.
  • To support heavy workpieces and use jigs to reduce vibration at pedestal and bench grinding machines used frequently for long periods, particularly for tool sharpening.
  • Not to stop wheels by applying pressure to the wheel periphery or face.
  • Not to leave wheels immersed in coolant which may lead to out of balance, coolant should be switched off before wheels are stopped to enable them to dry.
  • To take care not to insert oversize components into centreless grinders to minimise risks of ejection and wheel breakage.
  • To use wheel dressers which minimise risks of vibration white finger.

Sawing

Accidents

Most accidents occur when users make contact with the running saw blade when feeding, adjusting or removing workpieces and when cleaning the machine or removing swarf.

Health risks

Known health risks associated with the use of grinding machinery include the following.

  • Unsafe handling.
  • Harmful metalworking fluids.
  • Noise from the action of the blade against the workpiece.

Control measures

Recommended control measures when using sawing machinery include the following aspects.

  • Fixed adjustable guards.
  • Linkage operated moving guard to prevent contact with the blade in the raised position & exposure of the blade during cutting.
  • Gravity operated guards may only be used with hold to run controls.
  • Where fixed guards only are used, workpieces should be fed and removed through openings small enough to prevent access to blades.
  • If fitted, ensure the head spring balance is properly adjusted.
  • Clamping workpieces securely.
  • Using noise/vibration absorbing materials on feed tables.
  • Avoiding the use of damaged saw blades.
  • Enclosing the cutting head in noise absorbing materials.
  • Using damped saw blades.

Bacterial contamination

Fluid systems such as that used in a bandsaw, containing water or water-mixes can become highly contaminated with harmful bacteria. The bacterial contamination of fluids and associated machinery and pipework should be monitored and controlled. Direct means of measuring bacterial contamination should be used in conjunction with other checks on fluid quality, e.g., fluid concentration and pH and there are several ways of doing this.

BestPump uses microbiological dip slides which are a simple way of checking bacterial contamination. A dip slide consists of a plastic slide coated with a sterile culture medium which is dipped into the bandsaw coolant liquid to be tested. It is then incubated to allow microbial growth and the resulting colonies are estimated by reference to a chart to indicate the level of bacterial contamination. Monitoring should be used to confirm the standard of control, any increased levels of bacteria at an early stage and to indicate if any appropriate action is required.

Bending

Accidents

Accidents frequently occur during the use of bending machinery when hands are drawn into counter-rotating rollers, particularly during initial feeding of the workpiece. Hands are also often trapped between a workpiece and a roller. Wearing gloves increases the risk of trapping and many injuries are serious with amputations common.

Health risks

Most ill health arises from the unsafe feeding and unloading of workpieces which are too heavy, sharp or awkward.

Control measures

Recommended control measures to reduce the likelihood of injury or risk to health when using bending machinery include the following.

  • Hold to run controls should automatically return to stop on release.
  • Braking may be required to achieve a safe stopping time.
  • Position trip devices to be easily activated by anyone from both sides of the machine to bring it to a stop before serious injury.
  • Emergency stop buttons requiring manual reset after use.
  • Use feed tables and rollers to help avoid gripping workpieces close to the rolls.

Training essentials

In additional to general rules for safe operation and recommended control measures, users of bending machinery should be trained in and understand the benefits of the following safety practices.

  • Not wearing gloves during the initial feeding of workpieces.
  • Avoid gripping workpieces close to the rolls – feed tables and rollers can help.
  • Avoid slips and trips around the machine by keeping the area clear.
  • Clear rolls and maintain only when the machine is switched off and isolated.

Guillotining

Accidents

When using a guillotine, most accidents happen when feeding and removing workpieces near unguarded blades at the front, sides and rear of machines causing cut and amputated hands or fingers.

Health risks

Most ill health arises from unsafe handling, particularly heavy and sharp-edged workpieces, noise from cut workpieces falling, clamping and cutting operations, and high-speed continuous shearing.

Control measures

Recommended control measures to reduce the likelihood of injury or risk to health when using bending machinery include having the following in place.

  • Opening in front guard which restricts access to clamps or blade.
  • Built in lighting and marker to see cutting line.
  • Sloped discharge chute to enable workpieces to be retrieved without opening guard.
  • Rear interlocking guard.
  • Shrouded foot pedal.

Noise may be reduced by:

  • Wearing ear defenders.
  • Noise hoods.
  • Rollers to reduce vibrations during sheet feeding.
  • Rubber bases fitted to clamps.
  • Minimising the distance workpieces and scrap fall.
  • Lining bins with noise absorbent material.

Training essentials

In additional to general rules for safe operation and recommended control measures, users of guillotines should know how to do the following.

  • Work safely at the rear of guillotines fitted with powered back gauges and mechanical handling devices, particularly on CNC machines, where control systems may be complex.
  • Change blades safely.
  • Maintain powered machines to prevent blades dropping under gravity.
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