06 Mar Take These 5 Precautions to Avoid Injury from Your Cardboard Baler
Virtually every business nowadays relies on cardboard and while there are many benefits of using cardboard, there is one drawback: it takes up a lot of room. Fortunately, there are ways to compress cardboard into manageable, small bales so that there is less waste to deal with. This is achieved with the help of cardboard balers. They are extremely useful machines; however, you need to take certain precautions when using them to avoid injury.
Following are 5 precautions you should take in order to avoid injury from your cardboard baler:
1. Use Machine Guarding and Safety Interlocks
Equip all your cardboard balers with safety interlocks and machine guards to ensure the protection of the operators. Make sure to use reliable interlocks that cannot be easily bypassed. The purpose of machine guarding and interlocks is to stop the machine instantly if anyone tries to gain access to a ram while the baler is working.
2. Check the Electrical Components
It is very important to keep the electric panels of your cardboard balers dirt-free and clean. You should also make sure that they are shut securely. Furthermore, the conduits and wiring should be properly maintained. If anything is damaged, have it repaired immediately to ensure the safety of the operating equipment.
3. Check Hydraulics
Cardboard balers operate under very high hydraulic pressures. Because of this, it is crucial to have them repaired immediately in case of any kind of liquid/oil spills or leaks as such incidents severely affect the functioning of balers as well as the safety of operators. You should also inspect all hoses regularly for any signs of mechanical cuts, damage, or abrasion. Damage to hoses is common due to heat and age. So, you should have them replaced as soon as you see hints of heat and age affecting them.
4. Maintain Structural Strength
When it comes to ensuring safety with the use of cardboard balers, their structural integrity should be your top priority. Since these machines operate in tough conditions, the effects may manifest through failure and fatigue of the structures. Many structural parts of the baler will show signs of stress, breaks, or cracks long before they fail. Therefore, you should have them inspected on regular basis. The lack of maintenance, age, improper loading, dull shear blades, fluctuating pressure settings, etc. all can affect structural strength and make their use a safety risk.
5. Train the Staff
Carboard balers should only be operated by knowledgeable, experienced staff. So, make sure that the operators are properly trained. Encourage your staff to read the operator manuals before they operate the balers. Qualified people must impart the required training and you should carefully document the training at every stage.
Cardboard balers are an integral part of every business nowadays as they allow you to handle the waste efficiently. However, certain precautions are needed when using them because otherwise there would be risks of serious safety issues and unfortunate accidents. The suggestions mentioned above are some of the key precautions that will help you ensure safety.
H-West Equipment, Inc is a provider of recycling equipment, based in Orange, CA. We sell and service every piece of equipment necessary, from Balers to Compactors, to Shredders, Conveyors, and much more throughout California, Arizona, Nevada and Northern Mexico. We also provide parts and expert service throughout the same coverage area. For a consultation, or to schedule service, reach us through our contact form or call us at our corporate office in Orange CA at (714) 289-7733 today!
