Poor safety practices within the plant floor can lead to a variety of problems and hazards within the work space. By clearing up misunderstandings regarding machine safety, many accidents can be avoided. This article is a continuation of "Top 10 Machine Safety Myths Debunked: Part 1."

 Poor safety practices within the plant floor can lead to regulatory fines, workers’ compensations, lost productivity and of course, a hazardous work space. Some, if not all, accidents can be avoided by clearing up misunderstandings regarding machine safeguarding, ensuring all practices are compliant to regulatory protocols.

The Digital Enterprise architecture is disrupting conventional workflows, changing the ways in which manufacturers operate. Real-time insights, improved collaboration, and digitization of manual processes through technology are some of the emerging concepts entering the decades old workplace culture. 

Laser scanners serve as a safeguarding mechanism in places where normal devices such as emergency plungers and pushbuttons aren’t viable. The technology used within laser scanners is called “time-of-flight”, which involves the scanner calculating the position of the object based on the time taken by the laser to travel back.

For operators working in an automated environment, safety is dependent on two core factors. Firstly, the safety layers that a process has been embedded with, and secondly, the operator’s own knowledge regarding the workings of the process and how to manage it during abnormal states. Control systems have evolved greatly, incorporating multiple layers of automated safety within them that act as barriers to accident prevention at different scales. Nonetheless, the risk always remains and therefore efforts should be made to minimize its occurrence.

Productivity, efficiency and profits have all soared within the manufacturing industry thanks to the advent of machines and robotics. The benefits do make a strong case for the technologies’ advancements and complicated implementations; however, these systems aren’t free of hazards, especially for the workforce that operates on them.

As factory floors become increasingly complex and incorporate sophisticated modules, the need for fool-proof safety systems also becomes imperative. Organizations have much to lose from operation of unprotected equipment, with the list starting from workers’ lives and going all the way to hefty reinvestments. Safety-rated controls are therefore an important part of the manufacturing industry, but due to the increasingly complex requirements, System Engineers must take into account certain factors when selecting such equipment.

Ever been in one of those situations where you wished you just had a ‘pause’ button? Accidents on the plant floor can cause irreparable damage to equipment and personnel that can adversely affect your company’s productivity, profitability and safety.

Safety relays are control devices that sit between safety equipment and machines, activated either forcefully through a signal or by setting a physical parameter threshold. In industrial environments, safety is key to a productive plant floor. Devices such as safety relays allow activities to continue without the risk of injury or incidents.

Banner Engineering maintains a comprehensive portfolio of Safety Relays built for every situation, condition, and requirement. No matter what the application, Banner Engineering has the right safety relay for your shop.

Two hand controls are safeguarding devices that are used to keep the operator’s hands away from the point of operation. The modules deactivate as soon as the operator removes one or both hands from the mechanism, thus protecting the worker from injuries. This makes them an important piece of safety equipment on a plant floor.

Banner Engineering has a comprehensive offering of two hand safety modules and buttons, meeting the highest of standards while ensuring top-tier sturdiness and reliability.