Page 14 - Industrial Technology EXTRA 28th September 2020

SAFETY...

The importance of machinery

safety in current times

UK manufacturers are advised to ensure robust safety checks, as well as competency
assessments for staff, are carried out, before restarting machinery that has been left

idle due to lockdown restrictions or social distancing because of the coronavirus
pandemic, suggests Euchner, a leading specialist in safety engineering

s the economy starts to recover and Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, which
factories reopen or ramp-up their could run into millions of pounds.
production, machines should be Service and consultancy safety professionals
Ainspected to ensure they are still safe to from Euchner have experience from across multiple
use, a requirement of the Provision and Use of Work industries and can bring knowledge and best
Equipment Regulations (PUWER). This includes the practice to help compensate for staff shortages and
use of Risk Assessments to uncover potential bridge the potential gap between an organisation’s
hazards that may occur during the reintroduction or Health & Safety (H&S) management and its
scaling up of machinery, to identify and resolve any engineering team by assessing machinery and
issues that potentially pose a risk to employees. operating procedures from an independent
A challenge facing the manufacturing industry is viewpoint.
the possible effect furlough and self-isolation is Often in-house assessments identify that
having, leading to staff shortages resulting in guarding and safety equipment is present on the
operators running plant and equipment they may machine, such as light-guards, safety interlocks and
not have experience of, or had any formal training emergency stops, but the control philosophy behind
on. This includes the often-stretched maintenance these devices is not always considered. By utilising
teams. It’s vital that employers reassess the Euchner’s experience, engineers and H&S managers
competence of their employees to run machinery can learn the consequences of shortcomings in the
they may not have operated for some time. safety system that could cause equipment to fail in
PUWER is a requirement for companies to a dangerous manner.
ensure that all their work equipment including Euchner does not only undertake PUWER
machinery is safe to operate. Thorough checks assessments but can also help by suggesting
before restarting equipment that has been unbiased safety solutions, so that the end user is
mothballed due to the virus could prevent not only made aware of where their equipment falls
accidents, injuries or fatalities, as well as avoiding short of the regulations but giving them practical
potential imprisonment or unlimited fines under the advice on how to put it right.

September 2020 • INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY EXTRA • p14