Introduction – This guidance has been prepared in response to two fatalities in the UK and three in Germany, Canada and the USA since 2007. All five incidents involved production staff being crushed by the closing platens when the machine was used in dwell mode.
This HSE information sheet is for employers, supervisors and managers responsible for the safe operation of hand-fed platen presses.
It specifically addresses the risks associated with whole-body access between the platens of larger machines and use of the dwell mode. It also sets out several other key issues relevant to machines of all sizes.
HSE Guidance 18 – Hand fed platens
CPI Members Advice
This is a complex issue – your first step should be to read the Information Sheet and work out which parts apply to you, and then plan the action that you are going to take.
The first question you need to ask, is whether a hand-fed platen is the most suitable type of machine for the work you produce. If you routinely undertake high-volume production work, semi-auto platens or auto platens maybe a better solution?
ISO 12643 – 5 Through ISO/TC/ 130 / WG5 – Work is ongoing to develop a new ISO standard. This part of ISO 12643 provides requirements for controls, and for guarding residual hazards and hazards created by point of operation of manually fed and automatically fed platen presses.