OSHA STANDARD

The OSHA standard (29 CFR 1910.147) has established minimum performance requirements for
the control of hazardous energy. Six steps must occur, in the following sequence, prior to service
or maintenance on a baler:

1. Preparation for shutdown: The authorized employee must know the type and magnitude
of energy, hazards of the energy, and method or means to control the energy.

2. Shutdown: The baler shall be shutdown using orderly and established procedures.

3. Isolation: Electrical circuit interrupters or similar devices shall isolate the baler from the
energy source.

4. Lockout/tagout device application: Lockout devices shall be affixed to each energy iso-
lating device by authorized employees unless tagout devices can be demonstrated to pro-
vide full protection.

5. Energy due to gravity or hydraulic pressure: All potentially hazardous stored energy
shall be relieved, disconnected, restrained, or otherwise rendered safe.

6. Verification of isolation: Prior to working on the baler, the authorized employee must
verify that the baler has been isolated and deenergized.

Two steps must occur prior to baler operation:
1. No human exposure: Verify that no one is in the path of ram motion.

2. Power on: Remove lockout devices and operate controls to restore power.

For More Information

To obtain a free copy of the NIOSH* Report—Aeview of Safeguarding Technology Used on Paper
Balers (1995), or for information on other occupational safety and health issues:

— call NIOSH at 1-800-35-NIOSH (1-800-356-4674), or
— visit the NIOSH Home Page on the World Wide Web at
http:/Awww.cdc.gov/niosh/homepage.html

“NIOSH is the Federal Agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for preventing
work-related illness and injuries. HAZARD CONTROLS are based on research studies that show how worker
exposure to hazardous agents or activities can be significantly reduced.

Acknowledgements

The principal contributors to this HAZARD CONTROLS are John R. Etherton, Cheryl F. Estill,
G. Scott Eamest, and Jerome P. Flesch, NIOSH.

This document is in the public domain and may be freely copied or reprinted. NIOSH encourages all
readers of this HAZARD CONTROLS to make it available to all interested employers and workers.

DHHS (NIOSH} Publication No. 97-113
4


EE acedia)s comrnors

HC14

Control of Scrap Paper Baler Crushing Hazards

Personnel who4oad; operate, or maintain balers can be exposed-te crushing anc-amputation
hazards if the baler is inadequately safeguarded or if hazardous energy lockout procedures are
not followed. Serious injuries and fatalities have occurred when part(s) of the worker's body was
caught by the baler ram inside loading and baling chambers. In 1995, a National Institute for

Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) field study found that some balers DO NOT meet the
safeguarding requirements listed in the voluntary ANS! 2245.5-1990 Standard.

ee

An amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act, the principal law goveming the employment of
children under 18 years of age, became effective August 6, 1996. The amendment allows 16-
and 17-year-olds, under certain conditions, to load material into, but not operate or maintain,
balers. However, the recommendations contained in this document are applicable to adult
workers only.

Checklists that highlight the ANSI and OSHA standards are included on the following pages, with
particular emphasis on the commonly-used vertical downstroke baler (see Figure 1). Users

should review these checklists for safe baler operation. Based on its research, NIOSH recom-
mends three criteria be satisfied to protect workers from injury during operation of paper balers:

@ The point-of-operation guarding, such as an interlock gate, must prevent workers from plac-
ing any part(s) of their body into the hazardous areas of the paper baler during operation.

MH Periodic inspection and maintenance of the equipment and safeguarding devices must be
conducted to ensure proper operation and safe performance.

@ Workers must be trained in safe operation of the equipment, understand the hazards related
to bypassing safety devices, and recognize the limitations and effective operating ranges of
safety devices.

pol,

y

s % U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SEAVICES

Fj Public Health Service

5 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health CTE I eo

April 1997


ANSI STANDARD

The American National Standards Institute's "Baling Equipment-Safety Requirements" (ANSI
Z245.5-1990) sets forth several requirements for "safety interlocks" and "safe lockout proce-
dures" to stop or prevent hazardous motion of the baler's ram when open gates or access doors
permit a person's hands, arms or body to be in the path of the ram (see Figure 2).

Requirements

All Balers

Access covers, access doors, and protective
shields shall be safely secured.

Maintenance personnel are trained to follow
manufacturers recommended procedures
for balers that the employer maintains.

The manufacturers tag indicates that the
baler was constructed in accordance with
ANS] 2245.5.

There is a lockable power disconnect and an
effective lockout procedure.

A lockout procedure is written specific to that
baler.

Vertical Downstroke Balers

The ram will not function unless the bale
chamber door is closed and latched, except
when operated with a control that must be
kept engaged by the operator.

The loading chamber door or gate must com-
pletely cover the loading chamber before the
ram can be activated and must remain
closed during the compression stroke. The
ram must stop or retum to rest if the door or
gate is opened more than 1/2 inch during the
compression stroke.

The protective gate cannot be opened faster
than the ram rises to keep the top of the ram
protected during the upstroke.

Manufacturer's instructions must include pro-
visions for manually installing a blocking
device which will restrain inadvertent down-
ward motion of the ram whenever workers
must enter the baling chamber.

2

Important Considerations

If access doors are lockable, the key should
be kept by an authorized person. By location
or design, interlock components should not
be easy to tamper with.

16- and 17-year olds are allowed only to load
balers and shall not operate or perform main-
tenance, including clearing jams from the
machine.

This indicates that the chamber door and
latch have been designed to withstand the
maximum ram forces on the material being
baled.

A clear line of sight from the baler to the dis-
connect avoids unexpected start-ups.

Lockout is required for cleaning, jam clear-
ing, and maintenance. Lockout procedures
that must meet OSHA requirements are

listed on page 4.

Bale unloading is accomplished by upward
ram motion, so a maintained-contact contro!
{such as a push button) is appropriate.

If the gate is opened more than 1/2 inch dur-
ing the compression stroke, and ram move-
ment continues, then the gate interlock is not
functioning properly and needs to be
repaired.

A safe procedure for clearing scrap from the
top of the ram should include locking out
power.

In addition to proper isolation and control of
electrical energy during maintenance, the
potential energy of the ram must be con-
trolled by a blocking device of sufficient
strength to resist downward ram motion.


Hydraulic
Cylinder

Safety Interlock
~ Switch

Ram _
(Platen) ~
Operating
7 Controls
_Interlocked Lo [oes os scent am ie
Sliding Gate ‘ Bale Chamber

Door

Safety Interlock
Switch in Tamper-Proof
Box

Keylock
__ on-off
Switch

_\\ Operating
Controls

4
F 1
\ No Greater Than

] 1/2 inch Gap

Figure 2. Sample interlocked Sliding Gate: Two gate positions are shown: (A) open for loading (potentially hazardous) and
(B) closed for operating (safe). The safety interlock switch opens and closes electrical contacts that control power to the baler
ram depending on the position of the gate. Tampering, misadjustment, or wear of the safety interlock switch can allow the gate
opening to exceed 1/2 inch (maximum). Note that the baler shown also has a key-locked power control that prevents baler
operation when the key is removed and kept by an authorized person.

Illustrator; Daniel S. Watkins