Two safety tips to keep in mind when using industrial equipment to manufacture brass products

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Maintaining Industrial Equipment During the school holidays last year, I spent time working at my family's manufacturing plant. They have a lot of industrial equipment, and I spent most of my time shadowing the maintenance manager. It was fascinating to see the amount of care and cleaning which goes into making sure all the machines run smoothly. I began this blog as a way to document the different types of maintenance I learned for two reasons. Firstly, because I aim to take over the family business one day, and also to share my knowledge with others who are interested in running their own manufacturing plant.

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If you run a facility that produces brass products, here are some steps you should take to ensure that no one is injured whilst using your industrial equipment to manufacture these goods.

Inspect the melting and moulding equipment regularly

In order to turn a block of brass into a specific shape, it usually needs to be melted and then poured into a mould, where it will then cool down and solidify. The equipment that is used to melt and then mould the brass must be kept in excellent condition. If it is not, those who use it are very likely to end up with major injuries.

For example, if the furnaces in which the brass is melted or the vessels that are used to transport it to the moulding equipment develop holes, the molten brass may drip out of them and onto the feet or the hands of the employees who are handling them.

Due to the fact that molten brass is exceptionally hot, it could burn through a person's shoes or clothing in a matter of seconds. The high heat of the molten metal would almost certainly cause third-degree burns. As such, this equipment must be inspected regularly. If any holes or cracks are found, the equipment should be repaired, or if this is not possible, it should be discarded and replaced.

Keep a selection of safety gear next to the brass cutting machines

If your facility uses brass cutting machinery to create brass products of a specific size and shape, then it is vital to make sure that the employees tasked with using this equipment can quickly and easily access the safety gear they need to wear in order to avoid being injured whilst performing their work.

The reason for this is as follows; both manually operated and laser-controlled brass cutting machinery can put those who operate it at high risk of various types of injuries, including lacerations (from the blades), burns and eye damage (from the laser beam), and respiratory problems (from inhaling microscopic airborne brass particles).

Wearing multiple pieces of safety gear can dramatically lower an employee's chances of sustaining these kinds of injuries.

However, if an employee cannot find the safety gloves or protective eyewear they need and they are under pressure to get a particular brass item processed as soon as possible, they may attempt to use this equipment without wearing any safety gear and may then sustain the aforementioned injuries.

As such, you should make sure that the safety gear is stored next to the brass cutting machinery and check that it is still there at the beginning and end of each workday.

Additionally, employees who use this machinery should be instructed to hang the safety gear back up in the storage area immediately after they have finished their work (as if they continue to wear it whilst working in other areas of the facility afterwards, it will probably end up getting mislaid).

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