To prevent serious and even fatal accidents, the Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST) has published safety checklists for horizontal plastic injection molding machines with auxiliary equipment. The checklists meet the expressed needs of the plastics processing industry to gain a better understanding of the hazards associated with the interaction between molding machines and their peripherals, and improve workplace safety through hazard prevention.
The illustrated guide, based on concepts demanding familiarity with regulatory requirements and standards, has been validated by industry experts. It addresses the hazards associated with auxiliary equipment used with horizontal plastic injection molding machines and provides checklists identifying the main points to consider in safeguarding workers. The checklists have been designed for accident prevention officers, machine safety officers and people familiar with this type of molding machinery and equipment, which has many hazards, such as moving parts, pinch points, sharp or cutting edges, flying metal or molten plastic, and hot surfaces. By checking yes or no in answer to a series of questions, checklist users will make it safer to use hoisting devices, conveyors and robots or removal units. Other safety-related aspects, like lockout, the work environment and safety principles, emergency stop and control system reliability, as well as procurement, are also treated briefly.
“In addition to providing a number of references to standards, the guide urges users to draw up an action plan to remedy any areas in which changes need to be made in the plastics processing industry, which employs some 25,000 workers,” said engineer Yuvin Chinniah, associate professor of industrial engineering at Polytechnique Montréal.
The checklists may be viewed or downloaded free of charge from http://www.irsst.qc.ca/en/publications-tools/publication/i/100832/n/horizontal-plastic-injection-molding-machines-auxiliary-equipment. They are included in the Horizontal Plastic Injection Molding Machine – Safety Checklists technical guide.
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Contact
Jacques Millette
Public Affairs Officer
IRSST