Product category:
Machinery/plant guarding and protection
News Release from: Pilz Automation Technology | Subject: Brakes for woodworking machinery
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 23 December 2003
Woodworking machinery - have you fitted
brakes?
A five-year transition period to allow brakes to be fitted to woodworking machinery is over, but there are another few years of grace in which to comply with safety legislation.
There has been a five-year transition period to allow brakes to be fitted to woodworking machinery in line with the requirements of the Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) 'Safe use of woodworking machinery' that was published in the wake of Puwer '98; but this transition period ended on 5 December 2003 More information about the requirements is included in an article published in the June 2003 issue of 'Safety Update', the Pilz e-mail newsletter, and the article can be found by going to the Pilzsupport web site and entering 'woodworking' in the search box
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 28 Jul 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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This article also covers the ACOP's exclusions and extended transition periods; for example, users of equipment such as bandsaws, re-saws and vertical spindle moulding machines have another two years in which to comply, while some equipment does not need to be retrofitted with brakes until 5 December 2008.
Nonetheless, users would be wise to fit brakes as soon as reasonably practicable, rather than wait until nearer the time.
Speaking about the 5 December 2003 deadline, HSE Inspector Martin Lee of the HSE's Manufacturing Sector says: "The transitionary period of five years was given to allow companies time to minimise the financial and organisational impact of modifying existing machinery.
The braking and tooling requirements have been widely publicised and industry appears well aware of the issue.
Many companies have clearly taken a proactive approach in making the required changes." Any firms that have not yet modified their woodworking machinery need to be aware that after the deadlines have passed, inspectors may issue improvement notices; moreover, if a worker were to have an accident while using an unmodified machine, the courts would most likely take the matter extremely seriously.
Pilz has a range of DC injection braking units that can easily be retrofitted to woodworking machinery.
In addition, Pilz can also provide consulting and engineering services to assist companies with carrying out any modification work.
For more information about DC injection brakes for improving machinery safety, please see the 'Products' section of the Pilzsupport web site.
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