A guide to guarding standards
April 24th 2007 Procter Brothers, supplier of modular and bespoke machinery guards, is publishing a new free guide to the standards and regulations that relate to guarding.
Many machine builders have experienced difficulty in finding a clear set of standards, having to search for the relevant information instead from a variety of sources. This new guide gives the lowdown on the basic practices, together with information about how to find out more on specific topics.
Machinery guarding is essential if a machine is to operate safely, but machine designers are often unaware of the full range of regulations and standards that are applicable. There is no excuse for not complying with all of the relevant standards, but a frequent complaint is that there are so many it is difficult to know which ones apply in a particular case – and that assumes that the designer knows of the standards’ existence.
To help designers who are baffled or who simply wish to confirm that they are taking the right approach, Procter Machinery Guarding is publishing On Your Guard, a new guide to machinery guarding standards. As a supplier of machinery guarding, the company is fully aware of the applicable standards in the UK, Europe and beyond, so is suitably positioned to pass on some of this knowledge to machine builders.
On Your Guard explains the importance of guarding and how guards that are well designed can enhance productivity alongside ensuring operator safety. The guide then goes on to explain how machinery guarding relates to the Machinery Directive and CE Marking, before listing the relevant BS EN standards.
In addition to pointing designers in the direction of the correct standards, the guide also offers some advice on how to approach the design of guarding and the specification of the access control system. This information will aid the creation of a cost-effective guard design that will provide an adequate level of safety and help to avoid the problem of operators and maintenance personnel attempting to bypass the safety measures.
At the rear of the guide there are useful contact details for a variety of sources of further information, including the HSE, BSI and DTI.
Copies of On Your Guard can be requested free of charge by emailing jeremy.procter@procterbedwas.co.uk or by calling 02920 882222.
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