Ronnie Sullivan
Member
I think every now and then, there should be a discussion on here about H&S.
Machines can kill - and often do.
So this post is to remind you to be careful and observant out there.
Highlighted to me yesterday by a job I went on.
A simple plc code alteration on a conveyor system that took mattresses into a wrapping machine.
While doing it, I watched an operative climb in the machine to free a stuck mattress.
He did not turn it off and he was right across where the very hot and very big sealing bars came down.
I couldn't just watch, even though this machine was nothing to do with what I was doing, I had to say something.
The potential horror then revealed itself to me.
I told him to come out and turn the machine off. He opened the panel and flicked a breaker off?????
Then first I noticed 2 photo cells had the reflectors taped in front so the beam was never broken.
Then the E stops were all broken off.
2 Emergency pull cords were missing the pull-wire
and for a finale - the machine isolator handle was missing.
Oh, and there was no separate local isolator.
To kill the power totally, they have to get a ladder out to turn the breaker off in the distribution board.
Lets just say the bosses didn't like it when I told them it had to be turned off until it was remedied. The threat of the Health and safety executives getting a call settled it.
So keep your eyes out boys and girls. Complacency kills, maims and injures.
Machines can kill - and often do.
So this post is to remind you to be careful and observant out there.
Highlighted to me yesterday by a job I went on.
A simple plc code alteration on a conveyor system that took mattresses into a wrapping machine.
While doing it, I watched an operative climb in the machine to free a stuck mattress.
He did not turn it off and he was right across where the very hot and very big sealing bars came down.
I couldn't just watch, even though this machine was nothing to do with what I was doing, I had to say something.
The potential horror then revealed itself to me.
I told him to come out and turn the machine off. He opened the panel and flicked a breaker off?????
Then first I noticed 2 photo cells had the reflectors taped in front so the beam was never broken.
Then the E stops were all broken off.
2 Emergency pull cords were missing the pull-wire
and for a finale - the machine isolator handle was missing.
Oh, and there was no separate local isolator.
To kill the power totally, they have to get a ladder out to turn the breaker off in the distribution board.
Lets just say the bosses didn't like it when I told them it had to be turned off until it was remedied. The threat of the Health and safety executives getting a call settled it.
So keep your eyes out boys and girls. Complacency kills, maims and injures.