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There are thousands of injuries each year in manufacturing due to operators, laborers, and other employees reaching their hands and fingers into rotating cutting tools. These tools can include but are not limited to:
+ Saw Blades
+ Cutterheads
+ End Mills
+ Drill Bits
+ Fly Cutters
+ Band Saw Blades
+ Chainsaw Blades
When and accident occurs, a large majority of the injured employees have stated that they did not realize that the tool was moving or had not completely stopped. With the high noise level in many manufacturing facilities, the low light in many work areas and operators being less than observant, accidents are a common hazard. With the patented RAAS concept from MSI, the ability to recognize that the tool is moving becomes much easier. With a normal cutting tool of today, the tool is a single color when it is stopped, as well as when it is in full speed. The eyes do not always recognize the movement, especially in the peripheral line of sight. When RAAS is used on a rotating tool, the tool is two colors when it is stopped, and becomes a single color when operating at full speed. Our recommended colors are red with yellow indicators when stopped, which blend to make an orange tool when cutting.
In some applications, the use of lettering or scribe lines can be used to provide indication of motion.
With proper use of RAAS, the potential savings to manufacturing is in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
By using a specific series of processes, we can provide a durable colorization that also reduces the drag of the tool, and reduces build-up of different types of materials.For example, in woodworking, we can provide a variety of different processes that can reduce pitch build-up on the tool.
The cost of adding RAAS to a tool is a small fraction of the overall cost of a tool.
According to the United States Department of Labor*, there are over 11,000 non-fatal amputations per year. Fifty-three percent of these occur in manufacturing. This results in a projection of approximately 5,830 cases of serious amputation each year in manufacturing. Ninety-three percent of these amputations are fingers and fingertips. Rotating cutting tools cause a large majority of these accidents. The average cost of nearly $20,000 per injury in workman’s compensation results in about $110 million US per year in claims. When the cost of lost time, paid salaries and inefficient operation of missing or injured employees is totaled, the real cost of these amputations results in well over $250 million US per year in the industry. When you add minor injuries such as cuts requiring stitches, minor crushes of hands, and fingers, the total lost time cost is well over $500 million US. Other expenses that should also be considered are lawsuits from the employees.
*Information from Amputations: A Continuing Workplace Hazard by Jeffrey D Brown, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
RAAS: Rotational Accident Avoidance System US Patent # 6,662,694 B2 other US and Foreign patents pending. 4/2004 |
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