7 December 2009

Health and Safety Alert - Guarding on folder-stacker

Stahl KD78 Folder/Stacker Unit Incident

The Incident

On 18th November 2009 an accident occurred at Hobbs the Printers in Totton, Southampton. The incident involved a 21 year old apprentice who was operating the Stahl folder/stacker unit. The operator's right arm was drawn in between the delivery rollers whilst trying to remove an unwanted article. The area where the incident occurred was unguarded (see photograph).

Action

Safe intervention of machinery is currently a high priority with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for the printing industry. The HSE and the BPIF reiterates to the industry that employers must ensure that the machine risk assessment must identify the relevant hazards of the machine during:

• Setting the machine/make ready
• Running the machine
• Cleaning the machine
• Any maintenance undertaken on the machine

The BPIF Health and Safety Department strongly advises organisations who have the same or similar machine, to ensure that they have identified:

• all the categories of hazards of the equipment through the risk assessment approach
• all the nip and entanglement points of their machines.
• if further guarding is required?

To support the assessment , Safe Systems of Work (SSW) should be devised for any interventions on machinery (where there is a risk at a hazard zone).

These should be:
• devised with the operatives
• documented
• implemented through training
• monitored for assurance

Employers are reminded that they are required by statute to risk assess machinery and processes for the setting, operating, cleaning and maintenance for that equipment. Although machines are certificated and carry the CE markings, built to British standards, the employer must still undertake the risk assessment process to ensure adequate guarding is in place and that operators are not exposed to running rollers nip points and areas where a hand/arm or any other part of the body can be drawn through.

For further advice please contact your BPIF H&S Adviser.

Please Note: None of the aforementioned points neither implies or confirms that these were contributing factors in the above incident, they are merely standard controls that companies should be following.