Just yesterday, a worker in a Branchburg factory suffered injuries after he was sprayed with 500-degree molten plastic. He works for Newton Tool and Manufacturing, a factory in the business of creating plastic moldings.
The victim was fixing a machine when hot plastic suddenly sprayed on his face and arms. He was immediately rushed to the Saint Barnabas Medical Center where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
While the main cause of this accident is yet to be determined by investigators, we could assume that the machine was the main problem. This is where proper inspection and maintenance of machines come in. Also, you must make use of proper tagout, blockout and lockout procedures, especially when machines have defects or damage.
Safety with MSDS
Safety in operating machines does not stop with inspecting, maintaining and using them properly. You must also be in the know about the plastic you’re working with.
There’s no better way to do this than with the use of a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). With this tool, you get complete information about the nature, appearance and properties of every plastic you have to work with. This way, you get equipped with precautions in working with hot plastic and right procedures to take in the event of an accident.
Personality Safety Gear
Whether you pour plastic, mold it or operate its machine, you’re in danger of getting scalded, burned, blinded and even asphyxiated. For this reason, you must always wear required proper PPE like gloves, steel toed boots, goggles or face shields, ear protection, hard hats, respirators, and well-fitting clothes.
Machine Operations
You must ensure that machines that use a blade to cut plastic materials have a barrier or positioning device. This way, contact between operator and machine is not possible.
The same is true for injection molding machines that use a movable table to hold the lower mold. This is so an employee won’t be able to operate the machine during its cycle. Injection molding machines must also have an interlocked or fixed removable barrier that prevents an employee from reaching into the clamping mechanism.
Safeguarding Your Work Areas
If you’re working with combustible or flammable materials, you must mark work areas with “No Smoking” signs. You must also consider prohibiting smoking in the entire plant, factory, storage and manufacturing areas.
It’s important that you place eyewash stations within 25 feet of work areas where chemicals are poured, molded, mixed or transferred.
Related Links:
Proper Management of Hazardous Chemicals: Plan and Training for Workers
MSDS in your Hazard Communication Program: Your Guard Against Hazardous Chemicals
Lockout Tagout Basics : Machinery Tags (When Absence Means Trouble)
Top 10 OSHA Fines for Small Companies
Top 7 Tips on Using the 2006 Census to Improve Workplace Safety
