As manufacturing businesses continue to evolve and adapt to new challenges, health and safety remain a top priority. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has set its sights on inspecting manufacturing companies that use metalworking fluids or coolants in their machining processes. With a focus on protecting workers from exposure to fluids and mists generated by computer numerical control (CNC) machines, these inspections aim to ensure compliance with health and safety regulations.
Common Compliance Challenges
HSE inspectors are highlighting three areas where manufacturing companies, especially smaller businesses, often fall short of compliance:
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Regular Fluid Quality Checks:
Metalworking fluids, often referred to as white water, remain in the machine and degrade over time, becoming contaminated with bacteria. Poor fluid quality affects machine performance and part quality. To maintain safe and efficient fluids, regular checks and corrections of concentration, pH, and bacteria levels are essential. Daily visual and odor checks are recommended, along with weekly concentration, pH, and dipslide checks. Simple equipment such as dipslides, incubators, refractometers, and pH testing tools are required for these checks.
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Regular Health Checks:
Health and safety laws require employers to establish a health surveillance scheme for workers exposed to specific health risks, even when control measures are in place. This step is necessary because control measures may not always be entirely reliable. Employers need to collaborate with occupational health professionals with the required competence, skills, and experience relevant to the health risks in their business. These professionals will assist in developing a health surveillance scheme with regular checks.
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Lack of Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV):
The mist produced during machining can pose health risks when inhaled, making LEV a crucial component of worker safety. LEV systems should be fitted to CNC machines where operators are exposed to mist.
Protecting workers from exposure to metalworking fluids is not just a legal obligation but a fundamental aspect of ensuring a safe and productive workplace. Manufacturing businesses can safeguard their employees' health and well-being while maintaining efficient operations by implementing control measures, such as LEV systems, conducting regular fluid quality checks, and establishing health surveillance schemes.
Unrivaled on-site technical support
At Chem Arrow Europe, we provide our customers with an unrivaled level of on-site technical support, which includes:
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Monitoring of bacterial contamination within coolant mixes:
Following the latest HSE guidelines
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Health & safety guidance:
Assistance & recommendations with all aspects of health & safety regulations
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Minimise exposure to harmful airborne contaminants.
We supply a wide range of products and services to protect people from exposure to airborne oil and coolant mist.
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Hands on coolant management support:
Ensuring optimum performance and extended operational life
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On-site metalworking fluid monitoring:
Recording and presentation of all parameters associated with the fluids using easy to read electronic reporting of all coolant parameters
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On-site training:
Including best practices in the selection, in-use methods, management and recording of metalworking fluid parameters
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Machine cleaning service:
Keeping your machines working at optimum performance
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Environmental regulations:
Advice & support relating to material supply, storage and disposal
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Cloud based monitoring system:
Our unique coolant reporting system is an easy to navigate, web based tool that provides recording, tracking and reporting capabilities. It allows users to monitor concentration, pH, temperature, consumption, conductivity and sump level.
These processes will help your business keep up to date with HSE regulations, provide clear evidence to support you are following correct practices and will introduce efficiencies that will ultimately save you money.
Please get in touch to learn more about the products and services offered, including our full line of metalworking fluids, lubricants, industrial cleaners and specialty chemical products.