FEATURE Automated warehousing
Palletiser safety
By Darren Hugheston-Roberts (right), Head of Machinery Safety at TÜV SÜD, a global product testing and certification organisation
D
ue to the size of palletisers, full body access is a common occurrence. An inappropriately guarded palletisers give rise to unsafe access and unsafe transfer between zones within the machine. This means that personnel can be in the machinery without the knowledge of those outside. So, it’s no surprise that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) recognises palletisers and depalletisers as needing particular attention as injuries can be severe or even fatal. It therefore outlines appropriate safety principles, which include the guarding of machine entry and exit points. Where electro-sensitive protection equipment (ESPE), such as light curtains, are in place, it should be safe to assume that operators are fully protected, but we all too regularly see them positioned incorrectly so that they aff ord no safety benefi t. One common area of concern is the positioning and detection capabilities of the light curtain as it tends to be positioned to detect the pallet rather than the pallet load. This means that the gap between the light curtain and the pallet load is too large, which allows entry when in a muted state. It is therefore advised that the safety standard ‘EN 415-4: Palletisers and Depalletisers’ is referenced for additional information.
One option to improve safety at entry and exit points is to use a captive key exchange system. A mechanical key must
be removed to isolate the machine and release another key, which the person takes with them into the palletiser. While the key is with the person, they are safe as under no circumstances can the machinery be re- started until that key is returned. Another common sight is the lack of infi ll panels between conveyor rollers, which is also a requirement within EN 415-4 to prevent trapping and crushing between the pallet and the roller. It is also essential that guards are of the correct dimensions to stop people getting under or over them. However, these problems are not limited to old legacy machinery with retrofi tted guarding, as they are still a common occurrence with new machinery carrying CE or UKCA marking. In such cases, if the machinery manufacturer has installed guarding incorrectly, they can be prosecuted under the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations. CEN, the European Committee for Standardisation, aimed to publish the revised version of EN 415-4 by 2011, but it is still under development with further reviews conducted in 2019 and 2021. This means that while EN 415-4 had been harmonised to the old Machinery Directive 98/37/EC, when this was replaced by 2006/42/EC on 30 December 2009, it ceased to be a harmonised standard and is also not within the designated standards list for UKCA.
So, technically there is no standard for
palletisers and depalletisers that provides a presumption of conformity to the essential health and safety requirements of the Machinery Directive for CE marking, or The Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations for UKCA. While this means that machinery owners can’t be prosecuted under EN 415-4, they could still be prosecuted under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER), or machinery suppliers could be prosecuted under the Supply of Machinery Regulations, which relates to UKCA / CE marking essential health and safety requirements.
TÜV SÜD’s advice is to continue using the standard as it remains current and indicates best practice, showing due diligence on the part of the machinery owner, until its revision is complete, published and is harmonised and designated. To immediately identify any issues,
it is recommended that a thorough and competent PUWER assessment should be completed before any new machinery goes into operation. The primary objective of PUWER is to ensure the provision of safe work equipment and its safe use. The results of these inspections must be documented and kept until the next subsequent inspection is recorded. This means that there should be a current inspection report always kept on fi le. This will ensure the safety of anyone interacting with the equipment, and ensures that the levels of safety at the commissioning stage do not deteriorate over time.
CONTACT:
TÜV SÜD
www.tuvsud.com
32 October 2023 | Automation
automationmagazine.co.uk
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