Safety Audits

The increasingly full automation and robotics of the industry is becoming a reality: it is the result of constant trend to increase the efficiency of production processes while reducing costs.

However, man and his role cannot be replaced entirely by machines and the employee is still working close to the dangerous machines.

Compliance with the health and safety rules in the enterprise is a statutory duty of the employer and employee. The employer is obliged to identify hazards occurring in work environment, eliminate them or reduce the risk of their occurrence, so that cooperation on the line human-machine guarantees the maximum level of safety.

The first step to assess properly the safety level of machines and/or production lines in terms of the safety of people who work with them is SAFETY AUDIT.

GOALS OF SAFETY AUDITS:

  • 1. Reliable risk assessment.
    Identification of the need to perform an audit for individual machines including all components of the machine and / or production line.
    • a. Check that the machines and devices are used in accordance with their intended use.
    • b. Analysis of the control and safety systems, eg. verification of compliance of the machine documentation with the actual state.
    • c. Assessment of the correctness of the execution and assembly of fixed, blocking and control guards.
    • d. Assessment of the correctness of performance and assembly of the so-called permanent means of access to machines – ladders, balustrades, stairs, landings.
    • e. Assessment of the correct functioning of the safety components used: safety sensors, STOP-Failure buttons, wire safety switches, Pre-Start, resetting, muting and others.
    • f. Assessment of the lighting level of the production hall and operator positions.
    • g. Analysis of the required device operating instructions, work place instructions and manuals.
  • 2. Preparation of propositions for solutions for incompatibilities requiring corrective action to ensure the safety of people working on machines.

    • Automatech cooperates with leading suppliers of components of industrial automation. In our reports, in accordance with the best knowledge and experience of experts team, we include examples of solutions that can be applied, which in many cases accelerates and facilitates the process of adapting machines to end users.

    • a. Proposals for the deployment of safety measures.
    • b. Description of the implementation or modification of the existing safety system, taking into account the designated level of safety assurance.
    • c. Indication of deficiencies and / or inconsistencies in the technical documentation including instructions to complete them.
    • d. Presenting examples of correct solutions of the control system in accordance with the standards or ready to implement solutions offered by leading manufacturers of components of industrial electronics.
  • 3. Performing electrical and noise measurements.
  • 4. Performing EMC interference suppression (electromagnetic compatibility).
  • 5. Comprehensive support for the adjustment of machines / lines in accordance with the applicable directives on the basis of the recommendations presented in the SAFETY AUDIT report.
  • 6. Preparation or verification of LOTO – Lockout-Tagout procedures.
  • 7. Checking the temperature spread in the control cabinets in order to assess the condition of installed devices and early detection of their failure or incorrect selection; support in choosing the right cooling system for cabinets.
  • 8. Performing a full risk analysis of machines / production lines for producers, taking into account applicable laws and regulations.
  • 9. Performing a verification audit and issuing a statement of compliance with the relevant directives after confirming the compliance of the applied solutions with the requirements.

Below we present selected statistical data illustrating the essence of the problem of work safety.

According to the National Labor Inspectorate, in 2017:

  1. The dominant group of events causing injuries in the injured person was a collision with a stationary object or impact on such an object (30.6% of all events).

    2. Chart 1. Occurrence causing injuries

  2. Over 2/3 of all accidents at work are those resulting from incorrect behavior of the employee.

    3. Chart 2. Causes of accidents at work

  3. 77.9% of people injured in accidents at work suffered leg injury.

    4. Chart 3. Location of the injury