Sometimes the sheer power and force of a baler or compactor can be unrealized by workers, and the proper safety precautions are not taken. The same machines that crush tons of paper and other recyclables can cause severe harm to those operating the machines and working in the vicinity of the units. There have been more than 40 deaths since 1986 relating to balers, with many of the fatalities directly related to safety measures being bypassed or those measures not being in place to begin with.
While there are few mandatory standards for manufacturers as far as safety devices that machines must contain, the industry does have voluntary standards, most notably the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z245.5-1990 standard. ANSI’s "Baling Equipment-Safety Requirements" have several requirements for safety interlocks and safe lockout procedures to prevent injuries and accidents.
"The industry is trying to regulate itself," says Joe Szany, vice president of marketing and sales, American Baler, Bellevue, Ohio, regarding the ANSI efforts. For the most part, these standards are agreed upon by baler manufacturers, with a number of baler companies meeting each year to decide on definitions and standards for safety devices on balers.
Taking Action
The number of injuries and fatalities related to equipment in the recycling industry, primarily conveyors, shears and balers, has prompted the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc. (ISRI), Washington, to make a series of safety videos concentrating on specific processing segments of the industry, says Mike Mattia, director of risk management, ISRI.
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NIOSH Safety Procedure Guidelines |
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1. Follow lockout/tagout procedures 2. Have safe access/procedures for workers to clear jams 3. Have proper guards and interlocks on machines 4. Require operators to account for locations of workers before operating machines Other Workplace Hazards: 1. Uneven stacks—Tightly bound bales stacked on top of loosely bound bales causing instability 2. Disrupted stacks—bales brushed by moving equipment that can then fall over |
"We looked at balers and when we really got into it with an in-depth analysis, we saw there was a pretty significant story," he says. "We started to dig and a lot of these cases were using recyclables and there were similarities among the fatalities."
Mattia says the injuries and fatalities could be classified into several groups, the first being cases in which someone at a paper recycling operation (the industry segment where it seems the highest concentration of injuries occur within the recycling industry) had crawled or walked up a conveyor to attempt to unjam paper from the baler. Typically, the person tried to kick the paper free, and once they got the material unstuck, then lost their balance and fell into the baler, with their body activating the sensor in the baler to start a baling cycle. "There are some gruesome images in our baling video," Mattia notes.
Deaths relating to horizontal balers have tallied at least 29 since 1986, according to the ISRI video "Working Safe and Smart with Balers." Twenty-four of those 29 involved machines that were baling paper grades. Most often, the system that fed the paper into the baler, often a conveyor, had jammed and the worker climbed the mechanism to try to manually clear the jam. Once the jam was cleared, the worker fell into the baling chamber, triggering the optical eye and starting movement of the ram. At least nine people were severed in two by the baler of the 29 horizontal baler deaths reported.
Once a person falls into the baling chamber, it is very difficult to get out, a point illustrated in the video with a person trying to climb out of a baler, and then the image of ram movement imposed on that photo. There is very little time to move out of the way of the ram, and climbing out of the chamber can be very difficult.
"The second group of accidents and injuries is when workers actually climbed into the baling chamber intentionally for maintenance, and the baling ram activated," Mattia says. "In seven instances the baler was turned on while someone else was inside."
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Lockout/Tagout Procedures |
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As defined by OSHA regulation 29 CFR 1910.147, lockout/tagout procedures are designed to protect those operating machines or in potentially dangerous situations. At minimum, a lockout/tagout procedure is to include: • A statement of how the procedure will be used • Training for workers in the specific hazards of each machine • The steps required to shut down, isolate, block and secure the machines • The steps designating the safe placement, removal and transfer of lockout/tagout devices and who has the responsibility for them • The specific requirements for testing machines or equipment to determine and verify the effectiveness of locks, tags and other energy-controlling measures • The employers or authorized employee must notify affected employees before lockout or tagout devices are applied and before they are removed from the machine. |
The video explains reasons behind the fatalities from baler accidents. "In essence we are trying to give information to anyone who operates a baler and give them a renewed respect for the equipment and how not to put themselves into dangerous situations," he remarks.
Common Themes
Paul Moore, safety engineer for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Morgantown, W. Va., works on the Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) program, and says that some patterns appear regarding fatal baler accidents. But Moore says he is not sure why the paper segment of the industry seems to have more injuries, accidents and fatalities. "Why that is more prevalent than in the other areas, I have no idea," he says.
Moore notes that lockout/tagout procedures (cutting off power to a baler when it is being serviced) are often not followed when an accident occurs. "Almost all [incidents] we looked at, the people were working near the machine and in almost all cases someone fell in while the power was still on. As long as the machine has power to it and is sitting ready to function, it is going to compact what is inside of it."
Moore notes that when a machine is in a "sleep" mode, workers often think the machine cannot activate or cause any damage. Moore says he thinks that workers often forget how powerful and dangerous baling machines can be. "It’s not like they don’t know the hazards, but you are working eight hours at a time and you might become desensitized around it."
Employee training remains a key. "Training is very important, and it can be hard to get training because of high turnover," Szany says. "Our manuals are loaded with pages of things you aren’t supposed to do and precautions to take. We warn people you can be killed. We didn’t used to say those things because we were afraid people wouldn’t want a baler, but like cigarettes, we warn them of the potential dangers."
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Raising the standards in baler safety |
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One of America’s oldest baler manufacturers speaks out on baler safety and the human side of the equation. he modern recycling industry is vital to both America’s economy and its ecology. Within these operations, automated baling machines are used to crush and compact recyclable materials. However, when the human element is added to the mix of machinery operation and maintenance, safety concerns become paramount. American Baler Co., Bellevue, Ohio, is one of the oldest U.S. manufacturers of industrial balers. According to president and general manager Jerry Johnson, American Baler feels a strong commitment to and responsibility for operator safety. “Within the industry, accidents associated with baling operations have ranged from amputated legs to loss of life. The majority of accidents are the results of carelessness or misuse and it behooves every manufacturer to understand how these accidents can occur and to engineer preventive measures and designs whenever possible,” Johnson says. Like other baler manufacturers, American Baler’s machinery must meet industry standards last revised in 1997 under ANSI Z-245.5. These standards were developed with input from WASTEC, SWANA, ISRI, and industry safety experts—including American Baler personnel. All baler manufacturers in the U.S. should comply with these regulations, which include standards for equipment, operator, and owner. Roger Williams, American Baler Co.’s West Coast Regional Sales Manager, says, “We’ve always maintained that for the baler to be safe, any baler functions that can be manually controlled by the operator must be visible to the operator. We’ve taken care to assure that all tying operations are on the same side as the controls. This means that only one operator or maintenance person is needed for the operation and that some of the physical components of the tier will only be inside the ram for a minimum time.” To doubly ensure the safety of the operator, all safety labels are prominently displayed in multiple languages. Still, American Baler is aware that written warning isn’t always enough when human nature is involved. Joe Szany, vice president of American Baler, has some strong feelings about the most basic of safety warnings. “This is serious stuff,” says Szany. “Somebody, somewhere, is always going to act without thinking. They’ll break every safety rule. They’ll crawl around machinery where they have no business being. They’ll operate machinery totally contrary to the manuals or to any warning labels. Unfortunately, that’s a given. That’s why everyone from the equipment OEM to the facility safety trainer has to anticipate human error and guard against it.” Early balers were equipped with a hopper door as the only means by which the material creating the jam could be removed. According to Williams, American Baler has incorporated features in its balers that will all but eliminate an operator from having to be inside the baling chamber. “First, we have designed a unique stepped-edge shear blade that allows material to be sheared in stages versus the entire width of the shear blade,” states Williams. “Second, our operating program will automatically attempt to overcome a jam by retracting and advancing the baling platen. Lastly, American Baler has an optional jam breaker feature where two cylinders working in conjunction will push excess material away from the shear blade.” If an operator is required to be in the baling chamber, a specially keyed hopper door safety switch prevents any possibility that the baler might start while the operator is within the baling chamber. According to Williams, “It’s an incredibly simple safety solution: open the hopper door and all baler operations are automatically shut down.” However, this safety feature is not intended to replace the OSHA requirement of lock out, tag out. “We need for those operators to know we’re not the ‘other side’ of the safety issue. We’re on the same side they’re on,” says Szany. “They’re using our machinery, and they have to trust us to make it as safe as we possibly can for them to do their jobs. Their lives could depend on that trust. No, we aren’t the other side; the other side is a lack of concern for basic safety. Lack of concern is their enemy and ours.” Engineered Safety Solutions According to Szany, there are a number of things baler manufacturers can do to further the safe use of this kind of machinery. “For example,” Szany points out, “A single lockout for the baling system would assure that not only is the conveyor locked out, but the baler, too. When more than one lockout is available, the possibility exists that you could shut down part of the system, yet another part is still energized. Lockout/tag out violations are among the top 10 infractions for which OSHA fines companies. People have been killed because there was more than one lockout to keep the baler from operating. They used one lockout thinking the machine was safe to work on.” American Baler seeks to avert lockout injuries with use of a single, centrally located lockout that shuts down all components of the baling system. “It seems that no matter what safety precautions are engineered into a machine, someone always finds a way to ignore them or try to circumvent them,” Szany laments. “But that’s all the more reason why every baler manufacturer needs to push ahead on more and better safety solutions. Baler customers also have a strong influence in this area, too,” adds Szany. “If they buy or specify only balers with the greatest safety features – they’ll be sending a strong message to the industry.” Szany says the industry has come a long way with engineered safety solutions. Safety features should be considered when making purchasing decisions. The following features are ones American Baler builds into its machinery: •Finger-safe components used for all motor controls. •Discrete outputs from the control box ensure that ancillary equipment is controlled properly. •Motor starters for ancillary equipment are mounted inside the motor control center, providing maintenance personnel with a single, central location to lock out all components. •The main motors are stagger started. •Clear, concise, fully illustrated operator’s manuals. •Safety stickers available in dual languages. •Detailed, hands-on operator training provided by factory specialists. •All safety devices are wired into a redundant circuit with key safety devices. •Every auto-tie baler is equipped with three emergency stop buttons that remain closed once pushed and require manual opening before the baler can restart. Marianne Mack Clark This article was supplied by Pyramid Creative Group Inc., Milwaukee, and American Baler Co., Bellevue, Ohio. |
Woody Clark, operations manager of BE Equipment, Quakertown, Pa., says that training is usually left to the company purchasing the baler. "A lot of accidents would have been avoidable if they had a lockout/tagout procedure prior to addressing it. I think they get comfortable with it and they think they can get away with things," he says. "Hands on is the best training. It is not a bad idea to put it on tape so personnel have a video to watch. It is probably helpful for the companies that have a lot of turnover."
Szany says his company does offer additional training for a fee with a quarterly two and a half day seminar on the proper use of a baler. "It helps from a safety standpoint and helps you make sure the baler company is doing the best job we can. Not a lot of people come though." He also notes that it can be hard to keep properly trained employees because of high turnover rates.
Often the rationale for taking safety risks can be to try to increase production, says Ken Ely, president of Ely Enterprises, Cleveland. "You would be amazed of the things we have seen just to increase production sometimes," he says. "Safety features are bypassed just to try to up production."
The biggest problem Ely sees is employees not practicing lockout/tagout procedures. "They bypass the safety features and expose themselves to potentially dangerous situations." Ely says that in addition to safety considerations, a baler is a large capital investment for a company and the firm should want to protect that investment. "I think the problem is I see the most valuable piece of equipment someone buys being operated by the lowest paid worker."
Ely says his company documents all safety mechanisms put on balers before they sell them, such as photographing stickers placed on machines posting safety warnings. He says at times it can be unnerving doing business when you have to constantly watch your back, fearful of being involved in an incident.
The author is the assistant editor of Recycling Today and can be reached via e-mail at mgoodrich@recyclingtoday.com .
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