HSE safety alert to printing industry

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in the UK has issued a safety alert aimed at employers in the printing industry who use hand-fed platen machines. This follows two fatal incidents in the last 13 months where machine operators have been crushed between the platens.

In both cases the machines were being operated in ‘dwell’ mode at the time of the intervention. HSE is concerned with this activity in that the platen may automatically stroke at the end of the dwell period and safety devices may not be activated. 

This safety alert highlights the dangers of using the dwell facility on these machines, together with the steps employers need to take to ensure the machine can be used safely. The alert is on the HSE website at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/printing/alert.htm.

The two fatal incidents took place in April 2007 in West Drayton, London and in May 2008 in Wakefield, Yorkshire.