December 5 is a vital date for the woodworking sector. That’s when two important elements of the HSE‘s Approved Code of Practice, reference L114, ‘Safe use of woodworking machinery’ come into force to help woodworking machinery users comply with the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER 98).
PUWER 98 and its associated Approved Code of Practice (ACoP) say that you must fit a brake to any woodworking machine where there is a risk of contact with the cutting tools during rundown and where the normal stopping time is more than 10 seconds.
Woodworking machinery users, and those responsible for the use of woodworking machines, must carry out a risk assessment to determine which machines require braking. However, the ACoP says that they are considered necessary for the following machines by December 5 this year: circular saws, cross-cut saws, single end tenoners, combined machines incorporating either a circular saw or a tenoning attachment.
For bandsaws, resaws, spindle moulders, routers, surface planers, thicknessers, combined surface planing and thicknessing machines, braking must be fitted by December 5, 2005.
The Code of Practice recognises the danger in bringing large machines to a standstill too quickly, particularly large bandsaws and re-saws, pointing out “Standards also allow stopping time of up to 35 seconds for some larger machines”.
Rather confusingly the European Standard BS EN1807: 1999, Band sawing machines, states that where the run-up time exceeds 10 seconds, braking should not exceed the run-up time but shall not exceed 30 seconds.
For all other woodworking machines, companies have until December 5, 2008 to fit braking. In reality however, if braking is required on a machine it should be fitted as soon as possible.
The five-year introductory period is almost at an end for the first batch of machines and anyone in the sector who has not already taken the necessary steps should take action now.
More detailed information about braking is contained in the HSE’s Woodworking Information Sheet No 38 entitled PUWER 98: Retrofitting of braking to woodworking machines, available from HSE Books.
December 5 is also the final deadline for changing over to the new limited cutter projection tooling (LCP). LCP tooling, also known as ‘chip thickness limitation tooling’, is designed and constructed to reduce the risk of injury and the risk of kick-back when used on spindle moulders and single end tenoning machines, or any other hand-fed working machine.
Those companies that have LCP tooling must use it at all times and scrap the old type of moulding cutter heads. Those which have not yet changed over should do so without delay, bearing in mind that the official deadline is less than one month away.
Safest approach
The safest approach is to obtain tooling from reputable suppliers ensuring that the new tooling is manufactured in accordance with the European tooling standard, EN 847-1:1997 Tools for woodworking – Milling tools and circular saw blades.
Again, the HSE’s Woodworking Information Sheet No 37, entitled PUWER 98: Selection of tooling for use with hand-fed woodworking machines, contains detailed information about what is and what is not suitable, safety being the main criteria.
Any company which has yet to act, should take the necessary steps now and contact its local WMSA member company for advice on what is and is not required in order to make old (generally pre-1995) woodworking machinery both safer and compliant by the due dates.
Further details about these and other safety requirements that apply to woodworking machines are contained in the Approved Code of Practice entitled ‘Safe use of woodworking machinery’ Reference L114. The ACoP should be read in conjunction with the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, reference L22.
Both publications are priced at £8 each while the free Woodworking Information Sheets mentioned above are also all available from HSE Books, tel: 01787 881165.
