SAFETY SOLUTIONS: Using the Right Power Saw to Cut Plastic Materials

Many distributor and fabricator shops will purchase machinery to cut plastic. The question is whether or not this machine was really designed to cut this type of material? It all depends on the machine manufacturer and what they state in their owner's/operator's manuals.

For example, many companies use a table saw and install a blade that was designed to cut plastic however when you actually read the owner's/operator's manuals, it will usually state that the machine was designed and built to meet a certain American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard. If you look at your table saw and you see ANSI O1.1 on its data plate or in its user manual, that machine was designed to cut wood and not plastic or metal. So let the buyer beware.

OSHA does not have a specific machine standard for cutting plastic materials and they use the 29 CFR 1910.212 standards for machines that are not specifically listed in their standards. So in case of an injury or worse a potential lawsuit the manufacturer's manual comes into play as to judge if the machine that was being used for its designated purpose. Just because you purchased a blade that was designed to cut plastic does not mean that you can install it on any machine and be ok.

For plastic cutting machinery, ANSI updated their standards. The Plastics Industry Trade Association and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) announced the publication of a recently revised and approved American National Standards on plastics machinery safety. ANSI/SPI B151.20 - 2013 Safety Requirements for Plastics Sheet Production Machinery, that addresses detailed safety requirements for the specific machine or group of machines.

The standard represent significant and substantive changes from the previous editions and is considered Type-C standards according to the ISO Type A-B-C standard level structure. ISO Type A standards (basis standards) provide basic concepts, principles for design, and general aspects that can be applied to machinery. ISO Type B (generic safety standards) address one or more safety aspects or one or more types of safeguards that can be used across a range of machinery.

B151.20 specifies the requirements for the manufacture, care, and use of plastics sheet production machinery to minimize hazards to personnel associated with machine activity. The newly revised standard includes updates to reflect changes in technology and provides additional explanatory materials, illustrations, and definitions.

To assist in the interpretation of the requirement in the standard, responsibilities have been assigned to the supplier, the remanufacturer, the modifier, and the user.

With this said, you must be certain and when operating your machinery, it meets the right standard. If it is a bandsaw it could have been designed to cut wood and if it has a speed chart on it then this machine was made to cut metal and so on with each type of machine. If you have any questions on machinery, please feel free to contact me at the magazine. Remember that OSHA machine guarding violations are always in the top 10 of their citation list.

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