EMERGENCY STOP rules

[Larf03]

I've just got the strangest request by one of my clients: COver the E-stop.

While he does not give any specific requirements, he insists that the E-stop should be covered and personnaly, I think it's pretty strange and it defeats the purpose of an e-stop.

Do you guys know any article or laws that I could use to dissuade him ??? I'm I even allowed to do that? I bet I'm not...

I'm pretty confused over this so any help is most appreciated!!

Thanks!

Fred

 

[kenvlach]

The first injured employee will be able to bankrupt the employer due to the flagrant violation [not covered by insurance] of ANSI, NEC, NFPA, OSHA, etc. regulations. The type of Hazard (electrical, mechanical, pressure, temperature) probably governs what specific regulation will apply. E.g., National Fire Protection Association's (NFPA) Electrical Safety Requirements for Employee Workplaces (NFPA 70E).

NFPA 79-1995 13.2.3 Actuators of emergency stop devices shall be colored RED. As far as a background exists behind the device actuator, it shall be colored YELLOW. The actuator of a pushbutton operated device shall be of the palm or mushroom-head type.

OSHA 1910.211-219 covers Machinery and Machine Guarding
E.g., 1919.216(e) Trip and Emergency Switches. All trip and emergency switches shall not be of automatically resetting types, but shall require manual reset.

http://www.safeworkplace.org/Rees.html

For more, see

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/sea...rgency stop switch &p_title=&p_status=CURRENT

29 CFR 1910 (OSHA) index:

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9696

 

[tygerdawg]

ditto what kenvlach says. I'll also add your client is <scratched out expletive> misguided.

The authority is National Electrical Code and National Fire Protection Association. Probably ANSI is in there as well. OSHA is built upon and references those standards. You can get copies for a nominal (erk!) fee, but it pretty much spells it out after you learn how to interpret them.

The cheapo route to knowledge is to check out websites of Schmersal, Euchner, Allen-Bradley, possibly Sick, etc.: companies that provide ESTOP and machine guarding devices. Their literature sometimes provides pretty good explanations and guidelines for why you need to use their stuff, with references to standards. That should give you the bigger hammer to beat some sense into your client.

TygerDawg

 

[dvd]

While you're at it lock the firedoors.

 

[gerhardl]

.....and at the same time you could probably also block down all safety valves, as they tend to blow and disrupt your normal production.......

(I have seen it done at a filling rack for gas bottels, including flammable gases. The factory burned down a couple of years later.)