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Each company has an obligation to provide its employees with the safest working environment possible. Machine safety is governed by various regulatory agencies and companies are expected to make every effort to be in compliance with the safety standards that apply to their industry. Therefore planning a "Machine Safety Strategy" must be regarded as a major concern for all industrial manufacturing companies. "Risk Assessment" is the primary element of any Machine Safety Strategy and is a process made-up of several steps.
Documentation must be completed during every step of your Risk Assessment process. It is necessary to consider all stages in the life cycle of each machine including installation, commissioning, standard maintenance, troubleshooting, correct use operation and decommissioning. In addition, the consequences of foreseeable misuse or malfunction must be considered. Some hazards to look for include crushing, entanglement, shearing, part ejection, radiation, fumes, toxic substances, noise levels and extreme heat.
Risk Assessment is based on a clear understanding of each machines limits and functions, as well as all tasks the machine is required to perform, which in combination must be analyzed to identify hazards. The degree of risk attributed to each hazard is then estimated in order to provide a foundation for final safeguarding selection at a later stage. A validation will then be necessary to determine if the applied safety measures are sufficient or if additional measures are needed to reduce the risk. Risk Reduction is achieved when safety measures selected according to the information derived from the Risk Assessment process has brought risk to an acceptable level.
The initial steps of the Risk Assessment process are "Machine Limit Determination" and "Hazard Identification". This consists of making a complete list of all machinery in operation on your plant floor. Where separate machines are linked together, either mechanically or by control systems, they should be listed as a single machine. Next include all possible operations and usage for each machine. Then based on the concept of "AUTO" - Around - Under - Through - Over, each machine on the list is studied by looking at the equipment from all angles to establish any type of hazards that exist and the list is noted accordingly.
The next step in your Machine Safety Strategy is "Risk Estimation". All manufacturing machines contain hazards that represent varying degrees of risk. It is necessary to be able to describe at what level each risk lies on a minimum to maximum scale. When conducting Risk Estimation you must consider the severity of potential injury, the frequency of exposure to the hazard and the possibility of avoiding the hazard.
A "Validation" is required to determine if the existing safety measures are satisfactory or if additional measures are necessary to reduce the risk. "Risk Reduction" is then performed and the necessary safety measures are selected based on the information documented from the prior steps of the Risk Assessment process.
To further help you and your company understand the Risk Assessment and Risk Reduction process, JOKAB SAFETY North America offers a comprehensive selection of Production Integrated Safety Training Seminars that include a seminar entitled Risk Assessment & Risk Reduction. The training includes reviewing the various types of risk assessments, such as the RIA 15:06 -1999 Clause 9, as well as ANSI B11.3 Risk Assessment and Risk Reduction, "A Guide to Estimate, Evaluate and Reduce Risks Associated with Machine Tools". Discussion will cover how to set up a risk assessment team, the process involved in new equipment buy-offs, who should review equipment modifications and the process of ensuring on-going compliance to the relevant standards and codes.
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