Safety, Standards & Compliance

For a wide range of facilities that manufacture, process, blend, convey, repackage, generate or handle items that could be categorized as combustible dusts or particulate solids, new NFPA standards and even the first deadline to conduct a dust-hazard analysis are now on the books, adding to the responsibilities of owners and operators of such facilities.

Rockford Systems announced its new RSXpress fully-automated machine safety assessment service. The new service integrates Rockford System's surveying expertise with a proprietary, cloud-based digital platform, allowing the company to generate risk assessment and machine survey proposals up to 50 percent faster than legacy methods.

Recognizing that the future of American manufacturing lies with today's youth, Rockford Systems LLC launched its "Selfie for Safety" campaign to help raise student awareness of the importance of machine safeguarding and to help fund the upgrading of safety equipment in the machine shops of several high schools in Rockford, Ill., where the company's headquarters is located.

SecuraTrac announces its mPERS mobile emergency pendant, the MobileDefender Model S (MD-S). The model S (MD-S) is developed on the same platform as the MobileDefender and introduces new capabilities that will help to ensure the safety of those who use the MD-S and the SecuraTrac platform.

Rockford Systems LLC is bringing added safety to the factory floor with a new line of noncontact magnetic switches that ensure a machine's chip deflection shield is properly positioned between the operator and machine's point of operation hazard while running. Chips are very sharp and can cause serious, sudden injuries to the operator without the shield in place.

Wildeck Inc. has introduced a new LiftLok VRC safety system to prevent lift operation by untrained or unauthorized personnel. A basic key switch or a more feature rich 10-key pushbutton digital keypad can be added to any Wildeck mechanical or hydraulically-operated VRC (Vertical Reciprocating Conveyor).

Wildeck Inc. has announced its new NetGate pick module safety gate, which will transform open rack loading zones into protected, safe access areas by providing full height fall protection within the pallet zone.

HEIDENHAIN updates its successful angle kit encoder line again by modifying the ECA 4000 angle ring encoder series for use in safety-related applications. Of notable use in machine tools where dangerous conditions exist, this new ECA 4410 encoder is also useful in many automation applications such as in robotic arms for example.

OSHA officials have extended an olive branch to small businesses with its Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP), a partnership with those businesses that take safety seriously and respect the health and well-being of their employees. The program is administered through OSHA Consultation.

Eriez offers dry-type suspended electromagnets backed by third-party certifications for installation in hazardous locations with combustible dust and flammable gas or vapor environments. Notable certifications include Canadian Standards Association (series D800) and Underwriters Laboratory (series 700U).

Job sites are unpredictable, with environmental conditions and tasks that can vary widely from day to day. In response, 3M Personal Safety Division has expanded its SecureFit Protective Eyewear line by offering more features and deeper personalization with the debut of the new 3M SecureFit protective eyewear 600 series.

Livonia-based Michigan Metrology will host a short course on surface metrology and tribology on May 9-10. Dr. Don Cohen, an expert on surface roughness and its effects, will lead the course. Topics to be covered include instruments for measuring texture, surface texture parameters, wear, friction, sealing, data analysis and more. The workshop is designed for scientists, engineers and technicians.