Presented By: Ray Michelena Safety Director / Seminar Instructor T.J.Snow Co., Inc.

Transcription

1 Presented By: Ray Michelena Safety Director / Seminar Instructor T.J.Snow Co., Inc.

2 Safety in our industrial facilities is a priority. Industrial plants have a moral and legal obligation to provide equipment and processes free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to their employees. We will explore WHY companies should perform risk assessments. We will also look at the basic process of completing a risk assessment and how it can be effectively used with resistance welding. And finally, we will look at often seen safeguarding shortcomings perpetuated by lack of or a faulty risk assessment.

3 Any guidelines referenced in this paper or this discussion, are from my experience and are my opinions. They are not intended as a substitute for established safety practices or specifications from OSHA or any other government agency or recognized professional organization. What is stated is not to be conflicting with any safety codes, rules or regulations from your company, but rather considered a resource to clarify some of the gray areas dealing with resistance welding and safety. I intend only to focus on safety, not intending to evaluate any specific impact on productivity or costs.

4 Do bad things happen to good people? What are the odds of making a mistake? How about the person you re working with, what are their odds? What will be the cost of that mistake a minor incident, a serious injury or could someone lose their life could it be you?

5 Making progress? I don t know where I m going, but I'm making good time! It s a reality we all struggle with. Is it better to charge ahead as fast as possible?

6 Consider the fate of the Titanic and it s passengers. The largest, fanciest ship of its day. Captain Smith the leader. He acted in typical human fashion. He was ignorant of his own ignorance!

7 Was the warning system sufficient? They did use two safety systems! Corrective action would have been easily performed! Risks are sometimes hidden. They re out there!

8 Decision Making! Could be as easy as Stop or Go. History is a great teacher. Determine, consider, devise and commit

9 Not the same each of us. Is it acceptable? May be considered overkill and too expensive! An exact copy for all industry? We must impose the same level of protection.

10 OSHA s General Duty Clause: Each employer shall furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees.

11 Technical domain during the 1900 s. Behavior of operators was considered. Was focused on behavior of individuals. One to one relation was common.

12 One Piece Flow and Lean Manufacturing. Machine/operator relationship has changed. Operator now operating several machines. Safety compliance in a production environment. Can you identify, manage and mitigate exposure to involuntary risks?

13 There is a cost to performing safely. There is usually a greater cost to performing UNSAFELY! Safety Management has an opportunity. Let s look at Worker s Compensation as a cost.

14 W.C. Insurance. EMR. W.C. insurance costs. The effects of an EMR of 1.50 versus.50.

15 EMR how it is calculated. EMR is based on three year loss history. EMR is used as the Premium Multiplier of Base Premiums. The average EMR is equal to A worse then average EMR is around 1.15, while a better then average EMR would be around 0.65.

16 Base Premium = $100,000 per policy year. $100,000 X (1.00) = $100,000 policy cost. $100,000 X (1.15) = $115,000 policy cost. $100,000 X (0.65) = $ 65,000 policy cost. The five (5) underlying causes of accidents, as shown from accident studies: Individual Failure Management Failure Training Failure Standards or Procedures Failure Support lacking for safety management

17 What defines the cost? The higher the integration of safety, the lower the overall cost. In contrast to the costs of integration of a safety system on an established, in production machine.

18 Sparks? Sharp edges? Pinch points? Electrical shock? Power up / Power down assumptions? Hang after machine initiation? Bypassing safety systems? Incorrect loaded part after machine cycle start?

19 Equipment manufacturer? Equipment owner? Equipment user?

20 Step 1: Define Step 2: Determine Step 3: Develop Step 4: Implement

21 Definition of Risk Assessment. Use the data to implement Risk Reduction safeguarding measures. If the Residual Risk is not within acceptable parameters? An assessment team should always be used.

22 The assessment team should be comprised of a representative from: Upper Management Floor Supervisor Machine Operators Safety Systems Manufacturer / Integrator Each Member They translate the information They identify and assign it to an ascending grading scale from tolerable to intolerable risk.

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24 Two different categories TOLERABLE RISKS Risks that are acceptable Typically occur infrequently and result in minor or negligible severity of harm. Does not mean acceptability! INTOLERABLE RISKS Can cause lost time incidents, usually extremely expensive in direct and indirect costs Harm may be small but frequency is high OR occurrence may be low but potential harm could be catastrophic!

25 Equipment manufacturers / integrators Employers / owners Employees / operators

26 LIMITS OF THE MACHINE (Intended use, operating modes and conditions) HAZARD IDENTIFICATION (Interactions with personnel, nominal operation and misuse) RISK ESTIMATION (Extent of injury and harm, frequency, and exposure time, probability of the unwanted event, possibilities of avoiding and limitation) RISK EVALUATION (Determine the necessary measures for reducing of the risks) IS MACHINE SAFE? RISK REDUCTION END

27 Measure the likelihood of a person being injured, if risk reduction measures are not employed. Determine the impact of risk reduction measures on the original risk estimation. Measure the likelihood of a machine control system failing to perform a safety function.

28 Determine the overall performance of all risk reduction measures. Compare the residual risk to the risk level that exists on machines that present similar hazards. The demonstration of due diligence?

29 If OSHA determines that compliance with the voluntary standard would have prevented or lessened the severity of an injury, OSHA may cite the employer s failure to follow the standard as a violation of the general duty clause. Negligence refers to the absence of, or failure to exercise, proper or ordinary care. It means that an individual (or company) who had a legal obligation either omitted to do what should have been done or did something that should not have been done.

30 Accident reports reveal most occurred because the workers: Reached around, under, over or through guards into hazardous zones Removed or bypassed guards and safety devices Reached into the machine to remove stuck or jammed material Did not use lockout/tagout procedures Were victims of machine malfunctions Were unfamiliar with the machine and it s hazards Operated insufficiently guarded machines

31 Where it is happening (environment) Who or what it is happening to (exposure) What precipitates the hazard (trigger) The outcome that would occur should it happen (consequence) Any other contributing factors?

32 What can go wrong? What are the consequences? How could it arise? What are the contributing factors? How likely is it that the hazard will occur?

33 Where is it happening? Who is it happening to? What triggers the hazard? What outcome would occur should something happen? Any other contributing factors?

34 How many risks do you see?

35 Sometimes we overlook risks because they are not obvious until we study the process!

36 In a metal shop (environment), a long time operator (other contributing factor) tries to reposition a part in a multi gun resistance welding machine by leaning forward while his foot is still positioned in the initiation footswitch (trigger), initiating the weld sequence. As the operator s hand moves the part under the activated, moving weld gun, (exposure) his finger tip is crushed between the welding electrode and the part (consequences).

37 ANSI B11.TR# 2000, Risk Assessment and Risk Reduction A guide to Estimate, Evaluate and Reduce Risks Associated with Machine Tools Tolerable Risk is scored on Three Factors: Severity of Potential Injury Frequency of Exposure Probability of Injury

38 If more than one person is exposed to the hazards, multiply the number of people by the severity factor. If a person spends more than 15 minutes per access in the danger zone without lockout/tagout protection, add 1 point to frequency factor. If the operator is unskilled or untrained, 2 points are added to the total.

39 Hazard control measures recommended in assessment are useless unless: Consider what control methods will eliminate or reduce hazards. Most effective Engineering Controls (design) If not feasible Administrative Controls (procedures / policies) Lastly Personal Protection Equipment & Training

40 SOME RISK REDUCTION METHODS INDUCE A NEW RISK! CAN YOU SEE ANY NEW RISKS THAT HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED?

41 Operator Machine Process Safety Devices

42 Program MUST maximize: OPERATOR SAFETY MACHINE PRODUCTIVITY DOLLARS INVESTED Best safeguarded by: AREA POINT OF OPERATION

43 AREA SAFEGUARDING: Prevents machine activation when there is an intrusion in the working area Ensures the operator or any personnel is out of harm s way

44 POINT OF OPERATION Typically when the operator must hold the part while the welding operation takes place. You must mitigate the risks associated with this operation.

45 Only effective if it is reviewed and updated periodically. Review if an injury or incident occurs on a specific operation. If an employee s failure to follow proper job procedures that results in an incident or close call. Consider seeking help conducting your complex risk assessment.

46 End users need assessed on how they normally use the equipment. No cookie cutter safeguarding answer. Owners may not accurately perceive the cost of the control systems that are required. Does require someone knowledgeable with the safeguarding requirements.

47 We frequently see an installation without following all the best practices Physical barriers fence for example Openings Mesh size Distance from hazard Height How installed

48 If the machines aren t productive the first thing that is going to happen is bypassing the safeguards! But at the same time, you need the safeguards to make sure the equipment is operating safely and can still produce the parts they are designed for.

49 Businesses may not want to or be unable to invest in machine guarding software or library of standards to help managers assess and mitigate risks with their processes. Often underestimate the importance of the safeguarding and don t budget the capital necessary to do it correctly. In the end, all safeguarding must be justified financially.

50 If adding a machine safeguard system costs more then buying new already safeguarded equipment, the answer is easy. Rarely the case Usually the machine is nowhere the end of it s usefulness. But you must calculate ALL the costs Line downtime Operation disruption Incorporation with other equipment Must be properly designed & installed

51 Company management must heighten their awareness and the importance of assessing and meeting safeguarding requirements. It must be a company s mindset that this becomes an investment, not an expense in company longevity. It is the company s responsibility to keep their employees safe working with the equipment and processes at their facility.