SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) have announced the publication of two recently revised American National Standards and a new American National Standard on plastics machinery safety.
ANSI/SPI B151.31-2014 Safety Requirements for the Manufacture and Care of Blow Molding Machines is a newly created standard that addresses the safety requirements for both extrusion and injection blow molding machines. It replaces two separate standards, ANSI/SPI B151.15-2003 and ANSI/SPI B151.21-2003, both of which have now been formally withdrawn as American National Standards.
The two revised American National Standards are ANSI/SPI B151.7-2014 Safety Requirements for Extrusion Machines and ANSI/SPI B151.29-2014 Safety Requirements for Vertical Clamp Injection Molding Machines. The purpose of the standards is to help machine manufacturers and machine users identify and address known hazards to personnel working on, or adjacent to these machines.
"SPI is committed to increasing workplace safety by developing world-class standards to protect workers and reduce the substantial financial burden caused by workplace accidents and lost production time," said Stan Glover, Chair, SPI Machinery Safety Standards Committee.
Substantive changes to the standards include:
- Requires documented risk assessments from both the manufacturer and user
- Added additional definitions harmonized and standardized within the SPI portfolio of standards
- Incorporates advances in safety-related controls, mechanisms and practices
- Provides extensive references in Annexes for recommended safety procedures and circuits
- Requires that existing machines meet safety requirements, methods and signage of the 2014 Standard.
To assist in the interpretation of these requirements in all standards, responsibilities have been assigned to the supplier, the remanufacturer, the modifier and the user.
Other SPI/ANSI Standards address the safety requirements for horizontal injection molding machines, plastics sheet production machinery and the integration of robots with injection molding machines.
For more information contact:
SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association
1667 K St., NW, Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20006
202-974-5200
www.plasticsindustry.org