RR846 - Research into the effectiveness of safety bar devices fitted to satellite arm bale wrapping machines
This work identified a wide range of satellite arm bale wrappers available within the UK. Testing of these wrappers indicated that, as supplied, a large proportion of these wrappers have safety bar devices that do not perform in the manner desired. This is because in many cases, following the triggering of the safety bar, the rotating dispenser arms were not brought to an abrupt enough stop. This resulted in the dispenser arms passing the point at which the safety bar had been triggered, hence introducing the possibility of the dispenser arm striking whatever/whoever had triggered the safety bar. It is therefore apparent that bale wrapper manufacturers need to address this issue and develop solutions to improve the performance of the safety bar devices.
This report and the work it describes were funded by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Its contents, including any opinions and/or conclusions expressed, are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect HSE policy.
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