Manufacturing automation can boost productivity, efficiency, and quality, but it also poses some safety challenges for workers, machines, and the environment. How do you keep manufacturing automation safe and prevent accidents, injuries, and damages? In this article, you will learn some best practices and tips to ensure a safe and smooth operation of your automated systems.
Before you implement or upgrade any automation technology, you need to conduct a thorough risk assessment to identify and evaluate the potential hazards and impacts of the automation process. This includes analyzing the tasks, the equipment, the environment, the human factors, and the regulatory requirements. You should also consult with your workers, suppliers, and customers to get their input and feedback. A risk assessment will help you design and implement appropriate safety measures and controls to minimize or eliminate the risks.
hi to keep manufacturing automation safe and healthy, we need to 1) interact and support workers, 2) meet suppliers regularly and 3) convince customers about life cycle of the products and their well - being accordingly thanks oneness healthiest times ????????
This simply means if the technology is proven. If not, one needs to look at possible risks and check if it can be addressed through design or execution.
There should be a clearly defined boundary where human intervention is required or not. Along with risk assessment the technology should also be user friendly for the operator especially in a semi automated environment where operator has process /assembly steps to perform. In such cases prior training to use the technology is a must.
To Keep Manufacturing Automation Safe & Healthy, We are following below practices:- 1) To start the day with safety talk 2) Doing Gemba Meetings 3) providing training to the line men an dto teh supervisors 4)Fortnightly Review on Manufacturing process & Automation and its advancements. 5) Conducting regular Audits
Its important to carry out a systematic “Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment” exercise through participation and consultation of the interested parties (Process owners from Production, Maintenance, HSE, QAQC, Technical team). Where practical, its recommended to visit the facilities where such Machineries in use /Automation implemented and take inputs from the existing users. Their learning and experience could help to understand the actual safety issues faced by the users. Ask for the Machine manufacturers Safe operating Manual and safety instructions. Request Safety Data sheet of any Hazardous substance (for human health & environment) used in the equipment.
There are various standards and guidelines that apply to different types of manufacturing automation, such as robotics, machine vision, sensors, and software. You should familiarize yourself with the relevant standards and follow them strictly to ensure compliance and quality. Some of the common standards are ISO 10218 for industrial robots, ANSI/RIA R15.06 for robot safety, ISO 13849 for safety-related parts of control systems, and IEC 61508 for functional safety of electrical and electronic systems. You should also check the local and national regulations and laws that govern your industry and location.
Not only should you follow the major consensus standards on the market, but your company should also develop an internal policy and set of specifications to support standards to help guide your employees on what they should do, as well as the requirements of all work produced or delivered by vendors and contractors. Otherwise, you may get 100 machines that all comply with industry standards, but they all function a little differently.
? Identify hazards: The first step is to identify all potential hazards associated with the automation system. This includes hazards to workers, the environment, and the equipment itself. ? Implement preventive measures: Once the hazards have been identified, they can be addressed through the design of the automation system, the use of safety devices, and employee training. ? Regularly inspect and monitor: Safety measures must be regularly inspected and monitored to ensure they are always being implemented effectively.
The most important aspect I have observed is the fact that people are lacking focus, believe me a whole lot of unsafe situations can be avoided if people start focusing and start paying attention to their sorroundings.
To keep manufacturing automation safe, use risk assessment, safety features in design, physical barriers, training, maintenance, emergency procedures, collaborative robots, monitoring, and comply with standards.
Applicable legal requirements relevant to the OH&S shall be studied for understanding the need for changes to be incorporated in the organizations HSE system post automation. It may call for (i) a third-party qualification of operator (ii) certain medical fitness requirements for operators or periodic medical checks (iii) specific PPE requirement (iv)operator exposure limits (v) need for additional safety sign /alarm /sensors /barriers. (v)Prestart up audit by independent technical and safety expert (vi) specific measures for safe handling & disposition of used spares /WEEE.
One of the key factors for keeping manufacturing automation safe is to train your workers properly and regularly. You need to ensure that your workers have the necessary skills, knowledge, and competence to operate, maintain, and troubleshoot the automated systems. You should also provide them with clear and updated instructions, manuals, and procedures for each task and situation. Moreover, you should educate your workers about the potential hazards and risks of the automation process and how to avoid or report them. You should also encourage a culture of safety and communication among your workers and managers.
That appears to be most crucial. And doesn’t need any example. Knowledge itself can phenomenal value add to process as a whole.
Worker participation and including the workers by training them in safe work management and carrying out surveys will help in a better safe work environment.
Strict instructions should be issued not to bypass any interlock or safety device like photosensors or plugs to maintain continuity.
Close the loop on training. Make certain that trained team members have the opportunity to show competence in what they’ve learned. Establish a competence test for training activities to ensure effectiveness.
Another essential factor for keeping manufacturing automation safe is to maintain your machines and equipment regularly and properly. You need to inspect, test, and calibrate your machines and equipment to ensure that they are functioning correctly and safely. You should also replace or repair any worn-out or damaged parts or components as soon as possible. Furthermore, you should keep your machines and equipment clean and free from dust, dirt, grease, and debris that could affect their performance or cause malfunctions. You should also keep a record of your maintenance activities and schedules.
Automation has been the way of the manufacturing world for years, and the need for automation is ever-increasing. Automation systems have sophisticated electrical and electronic hardware and complex mechanical arrangements to automate any process. The problem with most automation systems (once installed properly) starts after a couple of years of installation. This is where the maintenance team becomes the key contributor to equipment life and safety. We often come across safety by-pass, loose wiring, dusty compartments, etc., under the pretense of production pressure. Whatever the cause, it is important to ensure that users take care of and maintain the system well to ensure safe operation.
Essential factors in keeping manufacturig safe are, 1 Stable electricity supply, 2 Proper maintenance of machines, 3 Employment of capable hands, 4 Adequate training and retraining of staff 5 Education and regular communications, 6 Conducive working enviroment, 7 Provision of safety gadget, 8 Thorough and proper supervision ,and others
A final factor for keeping manufacturing automation safe is to monitor the performance and output of your automated systems. You need to collect and analyze data and information from your machines and equipment to measure their efficiency, quality, and reliability. You should also use sensors, alarms, and indicators to detect and alert any errors, faults, or deviations from the expected results. Additionally, you should use feedback and evaluation mechanisms to identify and address any issues, problems, or opportunities for improvement. You should also review and update your safety policies and procedures regularly to reflect the changes and developments in your automation process.
Monitoring the performance and output of automated systems is paramount for manufacturing safety. Data analysis enables tracking efficiency and quality while identifying potential issues. Sensors and alarms provide real-time error detection, reducing risks. Regular feedback and safety policy updates ensure continuous improvement and adaptation to evolving automation processes, enhancing overall safety and productivity.
The use of machine learning Ai is becoming widespread for manufacturing automated processes - taking large data sets to understand manufacturing optimization. There is no reason this cannot be the same for safety, in fact we have worked with digital twins to predict safety issues on manufacturing line before they are switched on.
Make sure raw data is not lost as this may be required in a safety-related incident when aggregated or smoothed data used ina monitoring system misses the outlier incident that caused the problem
1)Designing the safety compliance with regards to the industry's future requirements. 2) Evaluate the safety compliance performance against the planned requirements. 3)Verify the compliance performance. 4) compliance review reporting 5)Define an action plan. 6)Repeat the Process.
The topics above are all crucial but company culture permeates all. When assessing risks it's critical that workers feel encouraged to bring every minor item to the table; standards are great but sometimes not enough, training needs to focus on how to be conscious and active to safety concerns, maintenance needs immediate action to any safety items and leaders need to make sure this is a top priority. Performance shall include safety KPIs while properly recognizing risk prevention, incident correction and the implementation of lessons learned. If production needs to be stopped for any safety concern this shall not be punished but recognized instead as well as the implementation of correction items that prevent similar future events.
Safety Hazop reviews are needed during the design cycle looking at as many "what ifs" as appropriate to the downside risk. Design reviews should include how to maintain and how to prevent stress for the maintenance crew. There have been cases where a maintenance engineer bypassed safety-critical tests for fear of causing an unintended shutdown leading to an unprotected system and eventually a dangerous incident.
Safety Audit of system before commissioning Safety audit of all planned safety interlocks should be checked before system is commissioned. Also any new potential risk which has been identified should be noted. To illustrate, the functioning of all safety devices should checked during audit.
Premote with safety campaigns, as in slogans. As always recognition for all goals met for safety to team and individuals. Always get feedback from teammates on ways to improve safety concerns big or small