Safety during the threading-up of calenders in the rubber industry:

Revision to advice in RUBIAC publication "Safeguarding of calenders in the rubber industry"

SIM 03/2009/07

Open Government Status

Fully open

Author Unit/Section

Manufacturing section

Review date

18.06.2013

Target Audience

HSE inspectors

Summary

This SIM replaces SIM 03/2004/63 but has no other changes other than a new serial number. It informs inspectors about a revision to the advice in the above publication regarding safety during the threading-up of calenders in the rubber industry.

Background

1. The advice at paragraph 49 of the above publication regarding the provision and use of limited movement control devices for ensuring safety during threading-up of calenders has been found to be impractical for most calenders that predate the publication. The use of limited movement devices on these old machines is not possible for technical reasons i.e. it causes damage to electrical motors and gear boxes.

2. The Rubber Industry Advisory Committee (RUBIAC) has therefore reviewed and revised the advice. The revised advice, which must now be read in conjunction with the original publication, is set out at the Appendix to this SIM.

3. There are no current plans to reissue the RUBIAC publication. However, the relevant trade associations namely the British Rubber Manufacturers Association and the Retread Manufacturers Association as well as the main trades unions represented in the industry, GMB, TGWU and AMICUS have been issued with copies of the amending guidance. The Sector have asked the trade associations and unions to endeavour to target the amending guidance specifically at calender users and inspectors are asked to provide calender users with a copy of the amending guidance when they come across them.

4. It is important to remember that the original, and now the amending guidance applies only to calenders that were already in existence at the original publication date in 1998. The Manufacturing Sector has made enquiries of the main importers and suppliers of calenders who have advised that there are no technical difficulties in providing limited movement control devices at modern calenders.

Advice to inspectors

5. When inspectors visit rubber-manufacturing processes and examine the operation of rubber calenders that predate the original RUBIAC guidance they should note the contents of the Appendix to this SIM when considering threading operations. They should provide copies of the amending guidance to calender users.

Cancellation of instructions

6.  SIM 03/2004/63 - cancel and destroy.

Appendix: Safety during the threading of calenders

(revision of the advice in paragraph 49 of the RUBIAC publication Safeguarding of calenders in the rubber industry )

Introduction

1. The RUBIAC publication Safeguarding of calenders in the rubber industry applies to calenders that were in existence when it was published in 1998. The advice in paragraph 49 of the publication about the provision and use of limited movement devices when threading up calenders has been found to be impractical for most calenders that predate the publication. RUBIAC has investigated this and agreed that the advice in paragraph 49 should apply only where it is essential to remove or disturb the normal production guards for threading up a calender. For all other circumstances the guidance in paragraphs 2 to 7 below shall apply.

Safeguards required for threading

2 . All the guards specified in the publication should be in position, correctly adjusted to the specified dimensions, in a sound state of repair and correct working order whenever a calender is to be threaded up.

3. A minimum of two people should be in attendance at the machine during the whole of the threading operation so that one person is available to stop the machine in an emergency.

4. Except in the circumstances described in paragraph 6 below, threading up should be performed at a slow crawl speed of 12 linear feet per minute (3.65 m per minute) or less.

5. The calender's normal operational speed control should be set to its lowest speed setting either before selecting slow crawl speed or to engage it. It is recommended that the selection of slow crawl speed is by means of a mode selector switch (i.e. a switch that allows either normal operation or slow crawl) that can be locked in the slow crawl position to avoid accidentally selecting normal operating speeds during threading up. As a minimum requirement, if slow crawl speed is selected using the normal operating speed control, the slow crawl position should be permanently and clearly marked on it.

6. In exceptional circumstances where, for technical reasons, a slow crawl speed of 12 linear feet per minute (3.65 m per minute) or less cannot be achieved, a higher speed is permissible for threading up as long as it is the slowest speed at which the machine can be operated and it is achieved via a 'hold to run' control button.

7. Where unprotected nips that are normally outrunning during production become in-running nips in reverse operation, the slow crawl speed should be achieved via 'hold to run' control buttons at the front and back of the calender. The design should require both buttons to be depressed simultaneously unless guards are securely fixed in place that effectively prevent access to the nips.

Additional notes

8 . Paragraph 46 of the publication describes the 1/8 of a revolution minimum stopping performance associated with emergency stop devices. This stopping performance also applies to the tripping mechanisms associated with the various types of tripping guards described in the publication (manger guard, limited movement guard etc).

9. The safeguards specified in paragraph 50 of the publication apply to any change in speed of the calender as well as to start up.