Safety Distance Validation of Presence Sensing Devices

Lack of machine guarding or improperly installed safeguarding equipment has been one of the top ten most cited OSHA violations, resulting in millions of dollars in fines levied against businesses. Injuries resulting from improperly safeguarded machines lead to higher insurance costs, lawsuits, and hospital expenses. Although safety equipment and proper machine controls are required by OSHA, many manufacturers sell machinery without either, leaving the business with the responsibility of safeguarding the machine. Underscoring their total commitment to machine safeguarding and worker safety, Rockford Systems, LLC (Rockford, IL) offers a comprehensive Stop-Time Measurement (STM) service conducted by their trained technicians for customers using metal fabrication, metal cutting, and turning machine tools.

STM is now a standard service offered alongside machine risk assessment, onsite machine safety surveys, and equipment compliance proposals. It is used to determine the stopping ability of industrial machinery. Once captured, the stop-time data is applied to formulas created by either OSHA or ANSI to calculate the minimum safety distance required to install safety devices. This service is offered for newly installed safety devices, as well as for the periodic validation of existing safety devices. Stop-Time Measurements are not only required for compliance with federal and state labor laws, but also may be necessary to abate deficiencies that are discovered during insurance company loss control and corporate safety inspections.

“Periodic safety distance validation, accomplished through Stop Time Measurements, ensures that machine tools are compliant with OSHA and ANSI standards and, most importantly, are providing the protection that employees on the shop floor deserve,” said Joe Nitiss, the chief executive officer of Rockford Systems. “By providing these services, we’ve completely removed the guesswork out of installing safety devices on mechanical and hydraulic presses, press brakes, and other types of machines.”

Rockford Systems, LLC, 4620 Hydraulic Road, Rockford, IL 61109, 815-874-7891, Fax: 815-874-6144, sales@rockfordsystems.com, www.rockfordsystems.com.