Risk assessment
is used to determine the level of danger to an individual and select
appropriate safeguards to reduce or eliminate the risk. Industrial
machines present numerous hazards on the plant floor. Hazards include,
but are not limited to, mechanical processes that crush or shear,
pinch points, stamping and bending of metal. The method of safeguarding
must take into account both the likelihood of injury occurring and
the severity of the resulting injury. OSHA and ANSI regulations provide
safety standards for machine guarding and personal protective equipment
to mitigate the probability of harm occurrence. Implementation of
safety devices can be achieved without diminished performance of the
manufacturing process. The goal of the safety program is to protect
workers and factory processes from injury and disruption in productivity
caused by accidents.
Risk
reduction begins with a thorough preliminary hazard analysis or safety
survey. Each machine is examined for potential problems and the presence
of existing safety control systems. A loss prevention program is then
developed to comply to safety standards while preserving plant efficiency.
Protection levels may vary at each machine based on the associated
danger. The Best Safety Practice (BSP) is employed to meet with government
standards. Common safeguards include: lock-out/tag-out, fail-to-safe
systems, continuous self-checking, emergency isolation devices, channel
monitoring and system redundancy.
Once
risks and present safeguards are identified and loss prevention implemented,
safety monitoring remains an important part of risk management. Pinnacle
Systems provides complete risk assessment, solution implementation
and system monitoring resources and equipment. To request more information
or an on-site risk assessment, send an email to risk@pinnaclesystems.com
or call (800) 569-7697.