Safeguarding bookbinding machines in printing

The guidance in the following tables describes commonly accepted and practicable safeguards for the significant hazards on some bookbinding machines that were manufactured or refurbished before the publication of European Standard BS EN 1010-4:2000 Safety of machinery – Safety requirements for the design and construction of printing and paper converting machines: Bookbinding, paper converting and finishing machines.  

For newer machines (manufactured or refurbished from November 2003) please refer to the Standard. See also general safeguarding guidance on machinery safety in the printing industry.

Sheet-fed folding machines

Hazards

In-feed rollers in-running nips

Safeguards

Fixed or interlocking guards with narrow slots for sheet entry which meet the safety distances specified in BS EN ISO 13857 Safety of machinery - Safety distances to prevent hazard zones being reached by upper and lower limbs

Folding rollers in-running nips

Safeguards

Use combination of guards, the machine's frame and buckle plates

In-running nips associated with drive tapes and in particular tensioning pulleys

Safeguards

Access to folding knives

Safeguards

Cutting, creasing and perforating devices intakes/danger zones

Safeguards

Access to machinery during setting

Safeguards

Machine operation with interlocking guards open by two-hand hold-to-run control. Zones with restricted view have interlocking guards and selector switch provided. Run speed should be as slow as possible.

In-line folders, sheeters, die cutters etc

Folders - Hazards

General mechanical hazards including in-running nips at nip/pinch rollers, cross-association rollers, folding drum, cutting cylinders, cross-perforating cylinders, jaw cylinder, quarter folder and delivery and pulley belt nips.

Safeguards

Bending rollers (outside totally enclosed area)

Safeguards

Delivery area (outside totally enclosed area)

Safeguards

Sheeters – Hazards

Draw rollers in-running nips

Safeguards

Fixed in-running nip bars or interlocking guards

Access to Rotary Knife

Safeguards

Stitching, riveting, eyeletting and attaching machines (with manual feeding)

Hazards

Access to moving tools

Safeguards

Gatherer-stitcher-trimmer (GST)

Hazards

Dangerous parts at gatherer/feed station, the stitching heads and calliper roll and access to knives at delivery end (ie access to trimmer knife)

Safeguards

Adhesive (perfect) binding machines

Hazards

Book clamps opening/closing and indexing during normal operation (shear/crush)

Safeguards

Access to clamps during make ready operations

Safeguards

Access to miller cutter

Safeguards

Adhesives - burns from hot melt ones

Safeguards

Provide temperature control with limit monitoring together with suitable screens or covers and remote methods for refilling the adhesive.

Feed end – traps

Safeguards

Delivery end-movement of book carriage - shear traps

Safeguards

Fixed or interlocked tunnel-type guard. Minimum safety distance to danger zone is 550 mm.

Paper drills

Hazards

Stroking parts on manually fed drills.

Safeguards

Rotating chuck jaws on multi-drill machines.

Safeguards

Fixed or interlocking guard or a two-hand control device.

Stroking parts on manually fed drills.

Safeguards

Fixed or interlocking guard.

Book sewing - Automatic/semi-automatic machines

Hazards

Sewing head access.

Safeguards

Book signature presses – used for pressing hard book covers

Hazards

Traps between moving press plate, material supply and intermediate plate.

Safeguards

Hold-to-run control

Book presses – used for pressing books after manual binding

Hazards

Traps between the moveable and fixed pressing plates or the forming bar.

Safeguards

Book production lines

Hazards

Traps created by separating elements on the book cover feeder

Traps created by formes in back rounding and pressing sections

In-running nips in the cover bending and rounding sections;

Crushing/shearing zones in casing-in section

In-running nips on the feed and delivery conveyor belt

Hot parts on pre-heater

Hot glue sections

In-running nips at gauze and head banding unwinding rollers

Safeguards

Also:

Back rounding and pressing machines used to round book signature backs and to complete

Hazards

In-running nips on the feed and delivery belts.

Traps on tipping section

Traps and hot parts on pre-heater section.

Traps and shear points on pre-forming, rounding and backing section.

Safeguards
Automatic machines:

Hand-fed machines:

Backlining and head banding – automatic production of books with flat or rounded book back

Hazards

Feed-side in-running nips on vertically mounted conveyors.

Glue rollers and hot melt parts.

Gauze knife and in-running nips.

Headbanding and counter-pressure section.

Safeguards

Book nipping (smashing)

Hazards

Access to gap between horizontal or vertical moving platen and book

Safeguards

Case-making and casing-in machine

Hazards

Access to gap between horizontal or vertical moving platen and book

Safeguards

Updated: 2021-11-09