WASHINGTON — Injection press safety standards have been improved, with a revised standard developed by the Society of the Plastics Industry Inc., based in Washington.
SPI's Machinery Division announced the revised standard March 16. The Machinery Division said the standard, adopted by the American National Standards Institute, ``provides sweeping changes to enhance machine safety,'' of both new injection molding machines and retrofitting of old machines.
The revised standard is ANSI/SPI B151.1-1997.
Walt Bishop, executive director of the Machinery Division, said the industry wanted to improve safety for machines that have ``whole body access,'' defined as measuring 48 inches or more between tie bars. Bishop said ANSI originally published the injection press standard in 1976, and it has been revised several times since then.
Included in the revisions are enhanced electronic, hydraulic and mechanical interlocking devices, extra gate blocks, a presence-sensing device and emergency stop buttons.
Companies also now must run a proper shutdown procedure on the machine, and provide a means to ventilate hazardous vapors away from machine operators. The standard calls for additional safeguards for presses with automatic mold-changing equipment.
SPI said all horizontal machines must be brought into compliance within three years or risk violating rules of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Copies of the new standard cost $21. Contact ANSI in New York at (212) 642-4900.
Additional information also is available from SPI's Bishop, who can be reached at tel. (202) 974-5230, or by e-mail at [email protected] socplas.org.
