Risk Assessment for a Bench Drilling Machine

In the diploma thesis, the author described a bench drilling machine and focused primarily on the risk assessment for this machine, as the increased accessibility of the machine to users has led to a higher number of injuries on the machine. Through the risk assessment, he identified all hazards on the machine, from transport to final dismantling of the stand. Following research and technical implementation of the risk assessment, he found that despite following the instructions for safe use, there is a high risk of injury when changing the machine's rotational speed, as the rotating parts do not switch off when the cover is opened. It can be concluded that the risk assessment for an individual machine is important both for users of the bench drilling machine and for its designers.

Problem

In the diploma thesis, the author described a bench drilling machine and focused primarily on the risk assessment for this machine, as the increased accessibility of the machine to users has led to a higher number of injuries on the machine. Through the risk assessment, he identified all hazards on the machine, from transport to final dismantling of the stand. During the risk assessment, he came to the conclusion that it is very important that the user is familiar with all the hazards that are possible on this machine, because if the user follows all instructions and uses appropriate protective equipment, the risk assessment on the bench drilling machine is acceptable.

Solution and Method

Following research and technical implementation of the risk assessment, he found that despite following the instructions for safe use, there is a high risk of injury when changing the machine's rotational speed, as the rotating parts do not switch off when the cover is opened. When examining the problem of high risk on the bench drilling machine, he noticed that machine manufacturers prefer to write stricter and more detailed instructions for use and clearer warnings rather than adding a safety switch to the machine. He concluded that this occurs due to lower production costs in cases where manufacturers only provide warnings and do not add a safety switch.

Due to the possibility of reducing the risk, he decided to install a safety switch. By installing a safety switch on the cover, he achieved the elimination of the risk, as the safety switch turns off the rotating part when the cover is opened. This reduced the risk assessment from 70 to 21, which represents an acceptable risk.

In the research, he focused on three hypotheses: When an individual properly informs themselves about the use of the machine before using it and reads the instructions thoroughly and completely, the possibility of injury occurring during work at the machine is lower than if they were to start using the machine without any knowledge about the machine and its functioning. Because the instructions particularly clearly state how the machine should be used safely and what requires special attention. Usually, pictures are also included for easier visualisation, so that the user really knows what exactly is meant by the presentation of the machine itself.

With the analysis of the risk assessment, we focus on all possible hazards and risks that can arise from using the machine and in its vicinity. In this way, we examine where hazards can occur and try to eliminate them or at least limit them to the greatest possible extent that is still acceptable for safe work by users. Thus, the possibility of injury occurring is reduced.

For a lower possibility of injury at work, the individual must be well informed and trained for work at the machine, must be rested and healthy, wear protective equipment and know the instructions for working with the machine. Upon arriving at the machine, the worker must check whether all safety components on the machine and switches are functioning. The working environment must be clean and tidy.

With this, he accepted all three hypotheses. Greater risks that lead to more serious physical injuries would need to be completely eliminated and limited in the future. Users would need to be better protected, regardless of additional economic costs when improving built-in safety.

Machines should, in his opinion, also start to be developed in the direction of increased safety, as nowadays the costs for, for example, an additional safety switch on the machine, if improper operation or an incident occurs, are small compared to improving the safety of machine operators and thereby reducing the proportion of injuries, including those with more serious physical consequences, which can be long-term.

• Proper use of the machine significantly reduces the proportion of injuries.

Results

It can be concluded that the risk assessment for an individual machine is important both for users of the bench drilling machine and for its designers.

• Proper preparation for work reduces injuries at work.