Safety Circuit Standards
Safety circuits used in industrial systems protect the operator and maintenance personnel from dangerous energy. They also provide a means of locking out or isolating the energy for servicing equipment.
Various agencies have contributed to the establishment of safety standards that apply to the design and manufacture of automated equipment. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Joint Industrial council (JIC) are just a few of the organizations that have joined with the plastics industry to develop safety standards.
Every effort has been made to incorporate these standards into the design of the drying system; however, it is the responsibility of the personnel operating and maintaining the equipment to familiarize themselves with the safety procedures and the proper use of any safety devices.
Fail Safe Operation
If a safety device or circuit should fail, the design must be such that the failure causes a “Safe” condition. As an example, a safety switch must be a normally open switch. The switch must be held closed with the device it is to protect. If the switch fails, it will go to the open condition, tripping out the safety circuit.
At no time should the safety device fail and allow the operation to continue. For example, if a safety switch is guarding a motor, and the safety switch fails, the motor should not be able to run.
Safety Device Lock-Outs
Some safety devices disconnect electrical energy from a circuit. The safety devices that are used on these dryers are primarily concerned with electrical power disconnection and the disabling of moving parts that may need to be accessed during the normal operation of the machine.
Some of the safety devices utilize a manual activator. This is the method of initiating the safety lock out. This may be in the form of a plug, lever or a handle. Within this lockable handle, there may be a location for a padlock. Personnel servicing the equipment should place a padlock in the lockout handle.
In addition to the safety devices listed above, these dryers are equipped with a line cord plug. This allows the operator or maintenance personnel to unplug the dryer from its power source and tag it out. The plug can then be tagged with any number of approved electrical lockout tags available at most electrical supply stores.
WARNING! Always disconnect and lockout all electrical power and pneumatic (i.e. compressed air) sources prior to servicing or cleaning the dryer. Failure to do so may result in serious injury. No one but the person who installed the lockout may remove it.
15, 30, & 60 cfm Compact Dryers | 13 |
