Rail shearing machines are heavy-duty manufacturing equipment. As with any manufacturing machine, it is important to exercise proper shearing safety when using these machines.
Failure to take proper rail shearing machine safety precautions can result in time-loss safety accidents in the workplace that could permanently incapacitate your workers. While there is always an element of risk involved in operating any heavy machinery, you can easily prevent worker injuries and equipment damage by following a few simple shearing safety rules.
One of the basic requirements for rail shearing machine safety is to keep the area inside and around the shear well-lit so that operators can see what they are doing. A poorly lit machine shop can lead to on-the-job accidents and injuries.
It may help to replace your lighting system with energy-efficient LED lighting that emits brighter light with less power consumption than traditional lights. Not only can this help you save money on machine shop lighting, but these bulbs typically last for years at a time, meaning they don't need to be replaced as often.
One of the most essential safety elements when using any complex manufacturing machinery is to keep that machinery in top condition. A worn, rusted, or poorly maintained rail shearing machine is more susceptible to sudden and catastrophic failure than a well-maintained rail shearing machine.
Before starting a rail shearing machine for any given shift, the operator should make a cursory inspection of the main rail shearing machine mechanisms to ensure they are in good condition. The specific components to be inspected will vary from one type of rail shearing machine to another.
Even if a particular employee will not be operating the rail shearing machine in the near future, it helps to familiarize them with the rail shearing machine and how it works. Providing workers with a crash course in basic shearing safety rules (e.g., stay away from the rail shearing machine when the yellow light is flashing) can help ensure that every employee is aware of the potential hazards of the rail shearing machine.
In fact, you may want to do this for all manufacturing equipment you use in your machine shop for all employees.
The finger protector on a rail shearing machine is a device designed to prevent the operator from trying to enter the space between the upper and lower blades of the rail shearing machine. This is a very important rail shearing machine safety precaution considering that between the two metal blades that exert tons of force when cutting solid steel is the last place you want your fingers to rest.
This is another frequently cited OSHA violation (actually number two on the list). It's easy to ignore warning signs. Unfortunately, you can't expect everyone to pass on every bit of information from every warning sign posted on any manufacturing machine. Therefore, an important rail shearing machine safety precaution is to frequently check all OSHA-regulated signs on shearing equipment to ensure that
• The signs are where they are supposed to be.
• The signs are legible.
• No signs are missing or damaged.
It goes without saying that employees in the machine shop should always wear proper protection - but failure to wear proper protection is a frequently cited violation of OSHA standards. At a minimum, operators should wear gloves, goggles, boots, and heavy clothing when operating a rail shearing machine to prevent injury.
We are a rail shearing machine supplier, please feel free to contact us if you need them.
Do You Know The History of Exothermic Welding?
May. 22, 2023
Characteristics of Aluminothermic Welding of Rails
Aug. 12, 2023
How to Use Exothermic Welding?
Aug. 26, 2023
