To help companies comply with Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) regarding machines and hand-held power tools, Master Abrasives is now offering a training solution with its Safe Use of Abrasives course, accredited by the British Abrasives Federation (BAF).
When used correctly, abrasives have an excellent safety record, the firm said. Whilst reputable manufacturers follow precise manufacturing standards (EN 12413) to ensure products are fit for purpose, problems are likely to arise when products are used incorrectly or for materials and applications for which they were not intended.
Course has got the PUWER
Abrasive wheel breakage is the largest risk for incidents, as grinding tools have operating speeds up to 180mph and can accelerate and decelerate faster than a Formula 1 racing car. Personal injuries resulting from wheel breakages are usually a result of using hand held machines and unfortunately the single largest reason for a wheel breakage is operator error. For this reason, it is a requirement of the PUWER legislation that all people who use, supervise or manage the use of work equipment have received adequate training.
Master Abrasives offers a training course to ensure this legal requirement is covered for employers. All who attend and pass the safe use of abrasives training course, accredited by the BAF, are issued with a certificate, giving employers peace of mind that they are helping to keep their workforce safe. The course familiarises abrasive users with basic but vitally important facts about abrasives, the use of them and how, when used correctly, they have an excellent safety record.
The appropriate product to match the material being ground
Although hand-held tools pose possibly the greatest risk to life and limb, even machines that are fully enclosed require training for operators and other employees involved to prevent costly accidents. Training provides the knowledge needed to select the appropriate product to match the machine and the material being ground, ensuring that it is not damaged with methods such as the ring test, as well as teaching required for mounting wheels to the machine correctly. As simple as it sounds, these basic operations are a major source of accidents when carried out incorrectly in the workplace every year.
Paul Batson, Managing Director of Master Abrasives, explained: “Ian Meredith, our certified trainer, carries out the safe use of abrasives course accredited by the BAF. Ian is our Applications Engineering Manager, with vast experience in various engineering industries, making him the ideal trainer for this course.”
The training course offered not only helps to fulfil legal requirements and reduce the propensity for accidents, it can seriously improve operator and programmer knowledge to further cut scrap rates and improve output. The programme can be tailored to customers specific needs and can even be expanded to include application recommendations for abrasives to improve performance and output.
Additional safety training
Complementing the abrasives training, Master Tool Services department offers an IOSH accredited Hand Arm Vibration (HAV) Toolbox Talk to help attendees to understand, control, and reduce the risks involved. It covers the types of tools which are high risk, the causes and health effects of Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome, the measurement and assessment of HAV, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) points system and many more points which operators should be aware of. This option can be a solution to the HSE legislation which requires employers to provide information, instruction and training to employees on the risk and the actions being taken to control the risk of HAV.