Instructions for Safe Work on Sheet Metal Punching and Bending Machines

The author of the diploma thesis defined instructions for safe work on sheet metal punching and ** bending machines. If we wish to ensure the safety and health of workers in their working environment, it is necessary to establish a connection between all those involved who appear in the chain – from the design stage all the way to the use of the machine or work equipment. In reducing the risk of injuries in the workplace, ** cooperation between the employer and workers is important, as they know their working environment best and can thus positively influence the state of safety and health in the company with their suggestions. Care for a safe and healthy working environment must be in the interest of all those involved – the state, the employer and the workers, who must cooperate with each other and act in a coordinated manner.

Problem

The author of the diploma thesis defined instructions for safe work on sheet metal punching and ** bending machines**.

Solution and Method

If we wish to ensure the safety and health of workers in their working environment, it is necessary to establish a connection between all those involved who appear in the chain – from the design stage all the way to the use of the machine or work equipment. All those involved are obliged, each in their own field, to comply with the legal regulations in the field of safety and health at work and machine safety. The term work equipment encompasses a range of different machines, devices and accessories that we use at work.

Consequently, there are also many regulations in the field of safe operation of work equipment and safety and health at work. This extensive field is regulated by ratified agreements and national legislation with implemented EU directives, which Slovenia, as a member state, is obliged to transpose into its legal order. ** Machine designers must already think about safety** and also anticipate all hazards that may arise when working on a particular machine.

In accordance with this, it is necessary to produce instructions for safe work on machines. In doing so, they are assisted by various standards in the field of design, safety and risk identification on machines. By affixing the ** CE marking** to a machine, the manufacturer confirms that it meets all legally specified requirements of EU directives.

When acquiring a machine or work equipment, it is placed in a specific working environment. The employer's task is to define all hazards and risks that may arise when working on a particular machine. Hazards must be defined in a risk assessment, which is the basis for producing instructions for safe work.

The risk assessment is also an indispensable part of the Safety Statement, which must be produced and adopted by every employer. With this document, the employer commits to carrying out all necessary activities to ensure safety and health at work for all employees. Workers must be made aware of the hazards and risks to which they are exposed during work.

They must be informed about this by the employer, who is responsible for training workers for safe work on machines. The workers' task is to consistently comply with and implement the adopted instructions for safe work, to which they must always have access and which must be produced in written form. Instructions for safe work are also represented by safety signs installed on machines. These signs give workers certain information, warn of danger, prohibit or require certain behaviour.

The employer must inform workers about the importance of installed safety signs. For the smooth and safe operation of machines or work equipment, it must be regularly inspected and appropriately maintained. Professional inspections can be carried out by specially trained experts for different fields, and at intervals that must not be longer than three years. Repairs and maintenance work on work equipment may also only be carried out by ** authorised persons**, who must comply with the manufacturer's technical instructions when doing so.

Despite all efforts to prevent accidents and consequently injuries at work, these ** still occur.** The causes of accidents vary. If we know the causes of accidents, we can influence them in terms of preventing them. ** Among the more common causes are** missing, incomplete or outdated instructions for safe work, non-compliance with them, or inadequately conducted risk assessment.

Results

In reducing the risk of injuries in the workplace, cooperation between the employer and workers is important, as they know their working environment best and can thus positively influence the state of safety and health in the company with their suggestions. Care for a safe and healthy working environment must be in the interest of all those involved – the state, the employer and the workers, who must cooperate with each other and act in a coordinated manner.