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 • Molder’s 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 Environment:Trip-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 Environment:Noise • 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 Environment:Slip-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 Environment:Floor 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 Environment:Operator 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 Metals:Explosion • 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