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Machine safety
What the minimum requirements are
The minimum requirements are a set of safety rules that every machine used by employees must meet. In Poland they are laid down in the Regulation of the Minister of Economy of 30 October 2002 on the minimum health and safety requirements for the use of machinery by employees at work. The obligation to ensure compliance rests with the employer.
The subject comes up most often with older machines, machines bought second-hand or imported from outside the EU that have no CE declaration of conformity. It also applies to CE-marked machines, however, if after years of use, modifications or a change of process they are no longer safe.
Where to start preparing
01
An inventory of machines and their history
Draw up a list of machines with the year of manufacture, CE marking status and available documentation. Mark those that have been upgraded, relocated or modified.
02
A review of technical condition
On each machine, check the guards on moving parts, door interlocks, emergency stops, the control system and the markings. These are the areas where shortcomings appear most often.
03
Risk assessment at the workstation
Identify the hazards during operation, changeovers, cleaning and clearing jams. The risk assessment will show which shortcomings are the most urgent.
04
An adaptation plan
For each non-conformity, set an action, a responsible person and a deadline. Some fixes need only a guard or a label, others require changes to the control system.
The most common non-conformities
- A missing or faulty emergency stop within the operator's reach.
- Guards that can be removed without a tool while the machine keeps running.
- No protection against unexpected start-up when power is restored.
- Illegible or missing markings on controls and hazards.
- A workstation instruction that does not describe how the work is actually done.
Minimum requirements are not the same as a full conformity assessment of a new machine. The goal is safe work that can be demonstrated by a risk assessment and documentation.
When an external assessment is worth it
Outside support helps when the plant has many machines from different manufacturers, when a machine has been rebuilt or when the fixes require changes to the electrical system and controls. The same person can then identify the non-conformities and remove them, without responsibility being passed back and forth between contractors.
Check your machines before an inspection
Tell us how many machines you want assessed and what documentation you have. We will agree the scope of the audit.
Author
Mateusz Żurawski
Want to work out where to start with your machines? Give us a call.
