Warning to users of hand-fed platen machines

Date:

30 December 2010

Users of hand-fed platen - die cutting - machines are being urged to follow revised operating and safeguarding guidance to reduce the risk of serious crush injuries and even death.

Two operators were killed in 2007/08 in the UK and HSE is aware of three other fatalities in other countries since 2007.

Current guarding requirements have been effective in controlling the risk of operators suffering crush injuries to their hands and forearms. But as the machines have become larger operators could be putting their lives at risk climbing onto the lower platen.

HSE is writing to known users of these machines, alerting them to the risks and providing a new Information Sheet to help manage them, which is based on extensive consultation with industry, users and suppliers.

As well as showing options for improving the safeguarding, it addresses a range of other issues including training, isolation procedures, daily checks and periodic inspections. These measures will bring platens into line with other high-risk machines such as guillotines.

HSE inspectors will visit companies in the New Year to find out how firms are responding to the new guidance.

Tim Small, a specialist manufacturing safety inspector at HSE, said:

"Handfed platens are high-risk machines. Our investigations show that workers can and do climb between the platens on many machines. The risk is particularly high when the platen is being used in dwell (semi-automatic) mode. In this situation, operators are not protected by the current guarding arrangements.

"HSE will be carrying out visits to users to check that firms are taking action to comply with Information Sheet. We will consider using our enforcement powers where we find particularly poor standards or where firms have not started to take any action to improve standards."

Notes to editors

1. The Health and Safety Executive is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice; promoting training; new or revised regulations and codes of practice; and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement. www.hse.gov.uk
2. Two operators were killed in 2007 and 2008 on large hand-fed platens. They were crushed between the platens as they made routine interventions during normal production. In both cases, the machines were being used in the dwell (timer) mode, the platens were not isolated and the safety devices failed to protect the operators. HSE is also aware of three similar accidents in other countries since 2007.
3. The Information Sheet can be viewed at www.hse.gov.uk/printing/alert.htm

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