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Woodworking Sheet No 3 HSE information sheet
This Information Sheet is one of a series prepared by HSE's Woodworking National Interest Group in agreement with the Woodworking Machinery Suppliers Association. Beam panel saws are travelling rise and fall crosscut saws used to cut panel boards and similar sheet materials.
The panels are normally clamped to the machine table by a power operated beam and are cut by a travelling circular saw blade which projects from a slot in the table and retracts automatically returning to the starting position at the end of the cut. A scoring saw usually precedes the travelling saw blade. Beam panel saws may be independently operated or may be incorporated into a production line with other types of panel finishing machinery. The boards may be hand fed or fed automatically by pusher mechanisms or other panel handling equipment.
Individual manufacturers' beam panel saws have their own characteristics which should be considered when identifying the hazards and assessing the risks but at all machines the following hazards must be considered:
Guards should prevent anyone from coming into contact with any dangerous part of a beam panel saw when it is moving or in use. Fixed guards are simple, provide the highest standard of protection and should be used as far as possible where frequent access to a danger area is not required during normal operation or for cleaning or setting. Guidance on fixed guards, on the permissible size of openings in them and on other safeguards is given in BS 5304:19881.
Access to the blade anc clamp must be effectively prevented whenever they are moving or in use.
Fixed guards should be used to prevent access to the saw when in the saw housings. If hinged covers are provided they should either be secured so that the operator cannot gain access or they should be interlocking. Interlocking covers should be fitted with a device to prevent access during the run down of the saw blade. On some machines braked motors are fitted and a run down device may not be necessary.
Where it is not feasible to fit effective fixed or interlocking guards, alternative safeguards should be implemented.
A trip bar and screen of rise and fall blocks or fingers should be positioned along the front edge of the beam (and also at the rear edge if access is possible and has not been prevented by fixed or interlocking guards).
The trip bar should be rigid (not a wire or rope), positioned at least 150 mm in front of the beam face and set as low as practicable but not more than 5 mm above the bottom edge of the beam. It should operate under fairly light pressure and should be fitted with two positively operated fail-safe limit switches (or other appropriate devices) one at each end which when tripped should stop and reverse the motion of the beam and cause the saw blade to retract beneath the table. The limit switches should be arranged to trip as soon as the bar is displaced.
The screen of rise and fall blocks or fingers should be positioned as close as possible to the front face of the beam. It should be linked to the cycle of the machine so that it is fully lowered and prevents access to the cutting path of the saw before the beam descends. The width of each block or finger should be no more than 50 mm to reduce the gap at either end of the pack of material. The fingers should be sufficiently rigid to prevent access and robust enough to withstand normal service.
Where necessary fixed guards should be provided to prevent access to the beam and saw at either end of the trip bar and rise and fall screen and, over the top of the trip bar and screen to the leading edge of the beam.
Where there is a foreseeable risk of injury, access to pusher mechanisms and other panel handling equipment should be prevented by enclosing this area with a fence at least 1.8 metres high or any other equally effective method of affording the same degree of protection. Any access doors to the enclosure should be interlocking.
Safeguarding the dangerous parts of beam panel saws may in certain circumstances be achieved by the provision of a photo-electric guarding system. Such a system should conform to British Standard 64912 and be applied in accordance with HSE Guidance Note PM 414.
Beam panel saws and their safety devices etc should be subject to a proper system of inspection and maintenance. The safety devices should be checked by a suitably trained person at the beginning of each shift and should also be inspected at appropriate intervals taking into account the use of the machine and manufacturer's or supplier's recommendations.
People working at beam panel saws should be adequately trained in a safe method of work. If anyone has to enter a potentially hazardous area (eg the pusher feed area for maintenance or adjustments or removal of offcuts) the machine should be efficiently isolated. Such people should be instructed and trained in a safe system of work.
Additional advice and information can be obtained from local offices of the Health and Safety Executive. The address and telephone number of local offices can be found in the telephone directory under Health and Safety Executive.
Further copies of this Information Sheet may be obtained from the Woodworking National Interest Group, Health and Safety Executive, 14 Cardiff Road, Luton LU1 1PP. Telephone (0582) 34121.
This publication may be freely reproduced, except for advertising, endorsement or sale purposes. The information it contains is current at 11/90. Please acknowledge the source as HSE.
Printed in the UK for the Health and Safety Executive 2/92 NIS/08/03 C70