Safety Devices for the Industrial Sector

Safety devices help to avoid accidents and downtime by ensuring machinery only activates when the device is being used. Examples of these include safety mats, safety edges and interlock switches.

However, a manufacturer may not simply offer such devices as optional equipment without also informing its consumers of the dangers that would exist in its products without them.

E-Stop Buttons

Electricity is used in a variety of ways in the industrial sector, from operating heavy-duty machinery and providing heating, cooling, ventilation and lighting to running office equipment like computers. Man Down Device This use of electricity comes with significant risk, particularly when workers are in close proximity to dangerous machinery. One of the most common countermeasures to this danger is the E-Stop button. These buttons are designed to disconnect actuator power and stop all connected machines in a machine cluster in the event of an emergency.

The design of an E-Stop button needs to meet a number of specific standards in order to be effective. For example, it must be clearly visible to the operator at all times and easy to operate. This is why most E-stop buttons are bright red and oversized. In addition, they must be unobstructed and require no reach over, under or around to actuate.

A number of new E-stop push buttons are available that also feature illumination. This allows them to show status in a more convenient way and can reduce the time it takes to find and activate the button. For instance, some are mounted on an enclosure base that illuminates when pressed, offering greater visibility via a larger, 360-degree viewable surface. In some cases, this can also provide confirmation to the operator that the button has been pressed.

Emergency-Stop Buttons

As essential as electricity is for industrial sectors, it’s also dangerous when not used correctly. That’s why many machines, like conveyor systems or elevators, have emergency stop push buttons to quickly cut off power if something goes wrong. This is especially important in industrial environments where machinery can easily hurt workers if not immediately stopped.

As an industry standard, emergency stop push buttons have a conspicuous red color with a mushroom head for easy identification and pressing in an emergency situation. They have a locking or maintaining action to keep the machine from starting up again until it is released by twisting.

This safety feature can save lives in the event of a malfunction or a worker being caught in a machine. Despite this, it’s not a replacement for other key safety measures such as light curtains or interlock devices. Ideally, those should be incorporated as part of a comprehensive risk reduction strategy.

Some new E-stop buttons can even illuminate the status of their operation. By using a combination of internal or external illumination, they can show whether a button has been pushed (e.g. flashing red) or whether it has been reset (pull-reset type). This provides valuable information for workers on the plant floor and helps them identify what needs to be done to resolve the issue.

Safety Mats

Safety mats are important industrial materials that contribute to workplace safety by helping people stay away from live equipment. Choosing the right mat and maintaining it regularly ensures optimal protection, making these devices a vital part of any risk-free business.

The design of a mat determines its effectiveness. It should be sized to the size of the safe area and have a clear surface that is easy to see. In addition, it should be free of tripping hazards and have an identifying color. Choosing safety yellow, for example, makes the mat stand out and is easier to detect than other colors.

Perimeter guards are often used to protect areas surrounding hazardous plant equipment, but they can obstruct visibility and may be difficult to maneuver around. A safer option is a safety mat that operates as a presence sensor and signals equipment to stop when stepped on, such as the ME151 Guardian Safety Mat.

These safety mats have a wide horizontal detection area that is perfect for safeguarding dangerous areas of factory automation settings. A normally open switch is activated when someone steps on the mat, sending a signal to the emergency motor controls to shut down machinery. Multiple mats can be wired in a series to create a continuous sensitized area. A safety mat control box is necessary to monitor and control the operation of each mat.

Safety Edges

The use of machines and equipment in industrial environments inevitably involves certain risks, including shearing or crushing edges that could trap an employee’s hand. Safety edges, also known as touch-sensitive sensors, are used to prevent such accidents. When the sensor’s rubber comes into contact with an obstacle or person, a signal is sent that instantly stops and reverses movement.

Unlike optical safety edges that operate according to the "normally open" principle and require a special control unit, Haake's electrical safety edges work according to the more reliable “normally closed” principle. This ensures that the sensor always switches off even if it is activated by an external source, such as an electromagnetic field or a light beam. This also ensures that the safety edge is not accidentally triggered by vibration or other external influences.

Safety edges are used to guard against possible crushing, impact or shearing points on electric gates and barriers – they can be installed on any style of gate where there is a risk of entrapment. They are designed as contact safety devices that should halt and reverse the gate/barrier operation when activated, after a professional risk assessment has been performed. In addition to this, electrical safety edges offer a number of benefits over optical safety edges and are available in an extensive range of heights and widths.