Mechanical Hazards Part 2 Peter Coulahan

Transcription

1 Module OSH10010! Part 2 University College Dublin Safety Officer Part 1 Part 2 : Practical risk reduction measures Part 2 1. Legislative requirements 2. Machinery guarding 3. Safety devices 4. Administrative controls General guidance on equipment safety can be obtained from the HSA s guide to the 2007 General Applications Regulations. Every machine must be designed to work as safely as possible and be fit for the purpose for which it is being used. Steps must be taken to minimise any risks associated with work equipment. The use of hazardous equipment must be limited to trained persons. Dangerous parts must be guarded appropriately. Equipment must be labeled appropriately. Employees must be made aware of the risks associated with work equipment. 1

2 Work equipment must be inspected and maintained appropriately with records of same maintained. Equipment must have a clearly identifiable way of disconnecting it from its energy source. Equipment must have clearly labeled control devices located in a safe place. It should only be possible to start a machine by a deliberate action. If required emergency stops should be fitted. A guard is the simplest way of protecting you from the moving parts of a machine. A guard forms a physical barrier between the dangerous parts of a machine and a person. To function effectively guards must: prevent contact with hazardous parts be securely held in place and be difficult to remove or tamper with be strong enough to resist forcing and to contain any ejected materials allow for adequate visibility if required not reduce the performance or reliability of the machine provide protection against non mechanical hazards where necessary Use whenever possible Are a permanent part of a machine Fixed Guards Should only be Fixed Guards removable using tools and not by hand Should not stay in place when fixings are removed 2

3 Meshed guards should not allow fingers into danger zones Fixed Guards Barriers designed to prevent persons coming into contact with dangerous parts of a machine. Distance Guards Considerable care must be taken in their design as they can be easily bypassed. Distance Guards A type of distance guard where a tunnel is used to isolate dangerous parts of a machine. Tunnel Guards Automatic Guards The guard is mechanically connected to the operation of the machine and isolates the dangerous parts of the machine at the relevant part of the cycle. The position of these guards is manually Adjustable Guards adjusted according to the operation in progress. 3

4 For these to work effectively the operator of the machine must have training in its safe use and must be competent. Adjustable Guards With this type of guard Self Acting Guards the guard is automatically opened or closed by the operation to protect the user. Automatically cut the power to a machine when they are activated. Trip Devices Can be photo-electric sensors, trip wires, pressure mats, infra red detectors, etc. Trip Devices Two Handed Control Devices These devices force a machine operator to use two hands to operate the machine controls thus removing their hands from danger zones. These physically hold the operator s hands in a safe position. Restraint Devices 4

5 Restraint Devices An interlock prevents a machine from operating when a guard is open, and can either stop the machine when the guard is opened during machine operation or prevent the opening of a guard during machine operation. Microwave ovens have interlocks fitted to their doors; when the door is open the oven will not start and when the door is opened during operation the oven switches off. It is vital that interlocks fail to safe. This means that if the interlock stops working properly, or becomes defective, that the machine stops working immediately, rather than continuing to operate with a defective interlock. The operation of all machines should be subjected to a risk assessment in order to list the hazards associated with that machine and to identify measures to reduce the risks from those hazards. 5

6 Consider the following: - do any parts look dangerous, e.g. exposed gear wheels? - are there guards in place? - can the machine operate with the guards removed? - are the controls labeled and easy to understand? is an emergency stop device present / needed? is the power supply to the machine clearly marked? does the machine give off any fumes or dusts? is the machine noisy or does it vibrate excessively? are any exposed parts likely to get very hot or cold? are there any exposed live electrical parts or is it easy to access any live components? are the manufacturer s instructions available for consultation and in a language easily understood by operators / supervisors? does the machine have a CE mark and does it comply with any relevant EU standards? Safe Person At a minimum every machinery operator must know how to: safely start, operate and stop a machine how to deal with foreseeable emergencies / malfunctions be able to identify equipment hazards be reliable be a safe person Safe System Of Work Planned Preventative Maintenance Permit To Work Systems Appropriate training and supervision 6

7 Part 1 Part 2 : Practical risk reduction measures Learning Outcomes Describe the different types of hazards and risks associated with machines Explain, and provide the rationale for, the methods used to reduce the risk of injury in the use of machines Be able to identify common hazards associated with machines Assess whether suitable safety devices are fitted and are operating safely 7