Electronic Paper guillotines can potentially be the cause of
nasty accidents if they are not correctly maintained and if the
guillotine operator has not been trained correctly.
Employers are responsible for providing training for operating
an
Electronic Paper guillotine by an appropriately qualified
training person. New staff should be monitored to make sure
that they do not develop bad habits when using an
Electronic Paper guillotine. It is a good idea to ensure
that your
Electronic Paper guillotines receive monthly, weekly or even
daily checks and inspections. Your
Electronic Paper guillotine should also be checked after
changing the
guillotine blade. It is wise to keep a record of each check
or inspection of your
Electronic or Powered Paper guillotine. Such checks should
of course be carried out by experienced
guillotine operators only. If at any time your Paper
guillotine should fail any particular test, have the
guillotine checked over by an appropriately trained
guillotine engineer. Again, a record should be kept that
such checks on the paper
guillotine have been carried out. The Health and Safety
Executive state that every six months an inspection of your
Electronic or Powered Paper guillotine should be carried out
to include all safety components, that is to say, all
guillotine brakes, clutches, interlocks, switches and cams.
All of these component parts that stop the
Paper guillotine from operating when necessary, and which
gauge the pressure produced by your
Electronic Paper guillotine, must be carried out by a
qualified
guillotine engineer. An
Electronic Paper guillotine should also receive regular
servicing. If
paper guillotines show any sign of behaving strangely this
should be immediately checked out by a suitably qualified
person. The Health and Safety Executive suggest that you ask
your
paper guillotine engineer pertinent questions to check on
their capability and competence. Such questions might relate to
the equipment the engineer relies on to check the measurement of
clamp beam gauging force of your
paper guillotine. When was the last time this particular
tool or equipment calibrated? Is the engineer certificated to
calibrate
Electronic or Powered Paper guillotines? Which other
customers'
paper guillotines does he look after? By what criteria does
he decide whether a
paper guillotine is safe? Is he able to provide a sample
report before he starts work on your
paper guillotine /
paper guillotines? Changing the blade or knife on a
paper guillotine is a dangerous job. It is vital to take
extra care to prevent accidents and nasty injuries when changing
a
guillotine blade. The instructions from your
guillotine manufacturer should be followed to the letter.
These instructions should be included in a written safety
working procedure specific to the worksite. Such instructions
will normally involve the use of knife handles or slides and
supports to facilitate safe removal of the
paper guillotine blade or knife. It is also recommended to
use mounting boards for safe transport of
paper guillotine blades and knives. When changing blades or
knives of larger
paper guillotines it is recommended to have two people carry
out the job. Onlookers should be made to stand back from
paper guillotines when blades are being changed. The
guillotine manufacturer's tools and equipment required for
paper guillotine blade or knife changing should be made
available. The area around the
paper guillotine should be kept as clear as possible to
allow for easy transport of the
paper guillotine knife or blade. Make sure your
paper guillotine engineer has the correct tools for the safe
change of the
paper guillotine blade or knife. This should include a
paper guillotine knife carrier which is basically a wooden
clamp that shields the
paper guillotine blade and is held in position by bolts
through the wooden frame in which the
paper guillotine knife or blade will be transported. The
paper guillotine engineer should also have a crank handle
for the fly wheel on
paper guillotines. When buying
paper guillotines it is wise to find out what training the
supplier can provide with regard to use and maintenance of your
paper guillotine. A manual should be provided with the
paper guillotine and this should include directions for safe
use of the
paper guillotine and blade changing. These should be
specific to the
paper guillotines involved. A logbook and tools should be
provided with all new
paper guillotines. The logbooks on new
paper guillotines are usually numbered and have the same
serial numbers as the
paper guillotines. You should receive technical information
with new
paper guillotines including information regarding the
paper guillotines overall stopping performance and gauging
force. When siting a new
paper guillotine carry out a risk assessment. This risk
assessment should also relate to maintaining and operating the
paper guillotine. Training on the
paper guillotine should also be taken into account for
paper guillotine operators and their supervisors. Many
Electronic or Powered Paper guillotines that are
manufactured outside the European Community do NOT comply with
current UK Health and Safety laws and often safeguards such as
photoelectric barriers are "Optional Extras". In the UK these
are NOT "Optional" extras but absolutely essential by law. When
buying or leasing a new
paper guillotine ensure that you deal with reputable
supplier who can provide a full after-sales service including
training for your
paper guillotine operators and maintenance. Be extremely
careful when looking to buy a second-hand
paper guillotine. It may be up for sale because it no
longer meets Health and Safety regulations. Controls that
require the use of two hands simultaneously should be fitted to
all
paper guillotines. Older
paper guillotines may not have this. Both buttons should be
operated within half a second of each other before the
guillotine will operate. If one button is released before
the
paper guillotine has performed a cut, both buttons should
have to be released and pressed again for the
paper guillotine to work. The
paper guillotine's operating buttons should be sufficiently
far apart for it to be impossible for the
paper guillotine to be operated by one hand. If one or both
buttons are released the
paper guillotine should stop immediately or return the
paper guillotine blade to "top dead centre". These rough
guidelines are very general and the precise requirements of
individual
paper guillotine types and models of
paper guillotine should be checked out with the
guillotine manufacturer or supplier and more importantly
with the guidelines in the Health and Safety Executive book
"Safety at Power Operated
Paper Cutting Guillotines". Photoelectric (electro
sensitive) safety systems for power-operated
paper guillotines should meet certain minimum standards with
full function monitoring (FFM for short) as the lowest
acceptable level for old
paper guillotines. Some older
paper guillotines will require certain modifications such as
the removal of the fully automated cutting facility. New
guillotines will need to meet more stringent standards.
Paper guillotines prior to 1974 with original photoelectric
guards will not be of the required safety standard and new
guarding systems will need to be installed.
Paper guillotines supplied after 1987 should be equipped
with photoelectric guards that meet British Standard BS 6491:
Part 2, or an equivalent standard.
Electronic Paper guillotines supplied after 1st January 1995
should be "CE" marked and comply with the "Supply of Machinery
(Safety) Regulations 1992" as amended. The main points to look
for when checking photo electronic safety systems, interlocking
guards and automatic sweep away guards are available from the
Health and Safety Executive website at
http://www.hse.gov.uk/PUBNS/indg282.pdf Sweep away guards
on
paper guillotines should NOT be changed for electro
sensitive systems if the
paper guillotine's knife drive is fitted with an unsuitable
brake, that is to say, a band brake or an electromagnetically
actuated brake. Body push guards fitted to
electronic paper guillotines are no longer considered
adequate safety devices.
Paper guillotines fitted with body push guards should have
been withdrawn from service in 1993.
Paper guillotine Services should be thorough and be designed
to satisfy routine maintenance and periodic inspection
guidelines now a legal requirement under the provision and
use of Work Equipment Regulations 1999 and Approved Code of
Practice.
