Chapter 9 Overview

1
Chapter 9 Overview

• Specific hazards working in die casting plant
• By being aware, they can be avoided, ensuring a
  safe work environment
• Obvious hazards are liquid metal and large
  powerful machines

2
Chapter 9 Objectives

• Correctly identify personal protective equipment
• List eight hazards in the die casting workplace
• List seven steps to safely use compressed air
• List six steps to safe handling of castings

3
Safety in the Workplace

• Safety is a defensive attitude
• Pursuit of safety requires top management to be
  fully committed to safety
• Hazards occurring in the die casting plant
• Pinch, snag, strike, burn, electric shock,
  pierce, slip-fall, trip-fall and fire

4
Protective Clothing

• Wear natural vs. synthetic clothing
• Cover up
• Shirts with long sleeves, buttoned at the wrist
• Long pants
• Molders boots
• Gloves
• Safety glasses
• Helmut, if required

5
Machine Safety

• DCM has
• Moving parts, pinch and shear points, lubricants,
  hydraulic fluid, and electrical controls
• Particular areas of the machine may be hot
• Die casting die
• Hot at operating temperatures, can have pinch and
  shear points
• Auxiliary equipment has specific safety
  considerations

6
Work EnvironmentTrip-fall Hazards

• Must keep area neat and clean
• Tripping obstacles can cause injury
• Machines have components that project out
• These are trip-fall hazards
• These items should be painted with standard OSHA
  color coding to make them more visible

7
Work EnvironmentNoise

• Excessive noise can be a hazard that can result
  in hearing loss
• The combination of noises make it wise to use
  hearing protection
• At minimum, earplugs are recommended

8
Work EnvironmentSlip-fall Hazards

• Lubricants, release, cooling agents often get on
  the floor and cause a slip-fall hazard
• Follow good house-keeping practices
• Use surface-drying compounds on spills
• Follow rigid equipmentmaintenance and
  preventative programs

9
Work EnvironmentFloor Clutter

• Floor clutter creates slip-fall hazards
• Electric cords, cables, and hoses running
  across the floor
• Process debris such as scrap, biscuits, runners,
  overflows, sprues
• All hoses, pipes and cables at floor level should
  be in a trench that is properly covered

10
Work EnvironmentOperator Platforms and Controls

• Operator Platforms
• These establish the proper working height and
  prevent fatigue
• Should be of uniform height for similar machines
• Need to provide a non-skid surface
• Proper working heights minimize physical strain
• Controls
• Must be at the proper height to avoid fatigue

11
High Pressure Air

• Escaping air can be noisy and an air blast can
  carry small particles of dirt or metal
• Air connections should be secured by strong
  couplings and connectors
• Air hoses should be arranged to prevent tripping
  hazards

12
Steps of High Pressure Air Safety

• Check all air hose connections before turning on
  the air or pressurizing the lines
• When turning air on or off, hold nozzle end of
  the hose to prevent whipping of the air line
• Shut off the air before adjusting air tools
• Never point an air nozzle at anyone

13
Steps of High Pressure Air Safety cont.

• Do not use air to dust off hair or clothing, or
  to sweep the floor
• Wear safety glasses when using high-pressure air
• Inspect air hoses regularly and request prompt
  repair of defective lines

14
Material Handling

• Inspect materials
• Get a firm grip on the object
• Keep fingers away from pinch points
• Keep hands away from the ends of long objects to
  prevent pinching hands
• Wipe off greasy, wet, slippery or dirty objects
  before trying to handle them
• Keep hands free of oil and grease

15
Working with MetalsExplosion

• If any liquid containing water gets under the
  surface of the liquid metal, the water will
  turn to steam, causing the metal to explode and
  spray out of the furnace
• When water turns to steam, it rapidly expands to
  1500 times its volume
• Can be a secondary explosion, more violent than
  the first

16
Industry Safety

• Incidence rate for lost work injuries
• In aluminum die casting at 7.8 per 100 workers
• 6.4 per 100 workers in other non-ferrous die
  casting
• These rates are almost double those for all
  manufacturing sectors at 4.2 incidents per 100
  workers

17
Summary

• Many hazards are associated with working in a die
  casting plant
• Safety is a defensive attitude, requiring
  commitment from top management down
• Personal protective clothing and accessories
  helps minimize your risk to certain hazards
• Several places on the DCM can cause injury,
  including hot dies, pinch and shear points

18
Summary

• Work environment hazards include cords, hoses,
  floor clutter, and obstacles
• High pressure air can be hazardous follow safety
  guidelines when using it
• Always follow the safety guidelines when handling
  materials
• Liquid metals can explode if any water is mixed
  into the melted metal