Do you want to protect your employees against accidents with dangerous machinery?
Annually, hundreds of injuries occur at work due to the proximity of people to various risky equipment. OSHA reports that workers who operate machinery suffer 18,000 injuries per year including amputations, lacerations, and crush injuries.
The issue is:
Many of these incidents are entirely avoidable by investing in the right safety equipment. Enter wire safety enclosures. The new wire enclosure barrier design that isolates machinery from the general public is one of the most efficient approaches to prevent mishaps in the work area.
What you will learn:
- Why Wire Safety Enclosures Matter
- Innovative Wire Enclosure Designs
- Selecting the Appropriate Wire Enclosure
- Proper Installation Techniques for Wire Enclosures
Why Wire Safety Enclosures Matter
Wire safety enclosures are not a luxury in your safety kit that you can safely remove. It is one of the most critical parts of any protection plan because it defends what matters most to you, that is your workforce.
The statistics below will explain this fact to you:
In 2023, 779 workers died from contact with objects and equipment. This means that more than 2 workers per day are dying of preventable causes.
Picture this
Every day, by not enclosing your risky machinery with sturdy boundaries, you will be playing Russian roulette with your workers’ safety. The expense of the play? It is in workman’s compensation, lost productivity, OSHA citations, and even possible lawsuits.
The Hidden Cost of Workplace Injuries
Have you ever heard of this?
Injuries in the workplace have been estimated to cost U.S. employers around 160 billion dollars a year. That’s “B”. For you to recover from this, installing KABTech Wire Enclosures for Equipment is a smart safety investment that covers its costs by eliminating one critical injury. Wire safety enclosures are suitable in every organization that has one or more areas that threaten the safety of your workers.
Plus, the investment in these state-of-the-art equipment enclosure barrier has many other added advantages like reduced insurance payments, high morale in the company, less lost time, and high OSHA compliance score.
Impressive, right?
Innovative Wire Enclosure Designs
Wire enclosure designs have evolved from their original, basic and boring chains to the exciting, functional, and aesthetically pleasing barrier in recent years.
Modular Enclosure Systems
Do you know the most innovative thing about these unique wire enclosures?
They are as flexible as the average snake. Modular wire fence panels enable you to organize the walls according to your machinery setup. You can design your exclusive protection plan around your CNC machines, around the robotic region, or on the sides of your conveyors, regardless of the machinery type in your factory.
These panels come with handy features like quick-connect mounting brackets for fast installations, height-adjustable from 4 to 12 feet, different mesh design for the various machinery, and have already door on the access entry with safety interlocks.
Enhanced Visibility
Safety barriers should not block anyone’s view. Closed-off from sight should not be the only thing you think of when you purchase these impressive equipment barriers. Fortunately, with the updated enclosures, this danger is nonexistent. The open mesh design provides unmatched visual monitoring while giving your machines impressive cover.
Enhanced visibility also means you can oversee your machine’s operation without going near it. Other benefits of buying these unique and exclusive wire enclosure include identifying faults before they become a disaster, better communication on the work floor, and more.
Safety Interlock Systems
The most innovative part of the wire safety enclosures is that it now comes with inbuilt safety interlock systems. The systems function to shut off your equipment when the access door opens, denying your workers entry while it is in operation.
It is essential for you to know that machine guarding violations are among OSHA’s top 10 most violated standards. Installing your machinery with a build-in interlock will save you from these violations while ensuring your workforce is safe.
Selecting the Appropriate Wire Enclosure
Wire safety enclosures are not cast in cement. You should be the one to decide which wire enclosure design fits the requirement of your factory.
Evaluate Hazard Level
The process of choosing the ideal wire safety enclosure starts with an analysis of the danger in your company. Machinery that rotates at a high speed will require a more robust wire enclosure compared to the one that does not move very fast. Additionally, during your risk assessment, you should also consider the possibility of projectiles, heat, or any other form of danger that may come from the functioning of the machinery, how often you will need to access it, and whether you have enough space around the machine or not.
Pick Material and Mesh Size
Wire enclosures are mostly made of welded wire mesh or expanded metal. The welded wire mesh has a more robust strength and a premium finish, whereas the expanded metal has a reasonable budget compared to its equivalent risk.
Wire mesh size is another consideration for you. The smaller the opening, the better is the defense of your organization from small and medium projectiles, but there is a disadvantage of this as it will limit the passage of fresh air around your heat-generating machines.
Compliance with Safety Standards
Your unique wire safety enclosures should meet the required safety standards like OSHA standards and your specific area of operation. You should look out for enclosures that meet ANSI/RIA R15.06 for robotics, OSHA 1910.212 for general machinery guarding, and ISO 14120 for guard design.
Do not assume you know the requirements. Work with a manufacturer who has documentation to support that the enclosure they make follows all the necessary regulations.
Proper Installation Techniques for Wire Enclosures
Installing wire safety enclosures does not always mean your machines are safe from exposure to any kind of hazard. Therefore, you have to find the appropriate way to do the installation to ensure your workforce is well-protected.
Anchor Points are Mandatory
Wire safety enclosures should be well-anchored to withstand the force of an equipment malfunction or even the impact of a careless worker. The most common anchoring include posts on the ground with expanding anchors, mounted by the wall, use of cables to fasten from the ceiling, and a combination of all the other methods for excellent and unbreakable suspension.
There is no time for compromise; if the enclosure is not well-mounted, then it is as useless as if there were no barriers at all.
Access Points and Exit Points
Every wire enclosure has to have access doors and clearly marked emergency exit signs. The door must be in the place where your workers can conveniently access it for normal operation. This should, however, be checked that other people do not enter your factory.
The best way to go about it is to use self-latching doors, which means the doors close and lock automatically. If you are covering a massive area, multiple exit doors should be incorporated in the design, and every point that an average person will see the hazardous material is labeled and made prominent. Emergency exits do not need any tools or expertise to open them in case there is an emergency in the enclosed space.
Regular Inspection and Maintenance
The installation of a wire safety enclosure is never a one-time thing. A plan for the maintenance of the wire enclosure must be in place to ensure your workforce is always safe and secure.
Schedule the maintenance of the wire enclosure so that it involves a monthly general check, every three months, interlock system must be checked and balanced. Once a year, a qualified individual checks the enclosure for quality and effectiveness. If anything goes wrong or some part is damaged, ensure the necessary repairs are done immediately and effectively. Documentation of all these maintenance checks is a must to ensure your company’s commitment to safety is above reproach.
Wrap Up on Equipment Safety
Wire safety enclosures have emerged as the best solution for you to keep your workstations safe. The modern wire enclosure offers next-to-perfect security while not affecting the necessary visibility, flexibility, and access.
With 18,000 machinery-related injuries every year, do you think you can still put up with the accident-prone machines in your company? Prevention is always cheaper than remedy, both in money and in human lives.
Begin by understanding your highest threat, and plan the wire enclosure strategy that will not only protect your organization but will also complement the floor.
