While there are many different benefits of press brake safety devices, we have narrowed it down to 3 main benefits. Safety should hold a high priority among mechanical shops and factories. Using dangerous equipment without safety features can negatively impact your consumers, business, and employees. Making the most of the benefits of press brake safety devices can help avoid mistakes and accidents which most of the time, cost money. Main benefits of press brake safety devices include productivity increases, increase in employee morale and the validation that comes with OSHA.
1. Productivity Increase
The productivity increase is very noticeable within benefits of press brake safety devices. Not only do our devices deliver on safety but they can also vastly improve the workplace due to an increase in productivity. Our devices all have different reasons for accomplishing an increase in productivity.
Laser Sentry – The laser sentry system, is a presence sensing device which features laser guides while using the precision of lasers directly surrounding the die. If an unusual object is detected, the laser technology will retract. This increases productivity allowing simple corrections to be made on the fly and maintaining consistent workflow.
Light Curtains – Light curtains are also a type of presence sensing device used to protect the operator from making contact with any part of the press brake. No restraints, straps or physical barriers need to be used. Instead, a stream of light is used to protect the operator. With there being no restraints, straps, or physical barriers it saves time in manpower as well as speeding up production.
Foot Pedals – Foot pedals are used in connection with other types of safety guards to provide safety by serving as an emergency stopping provision in case other safety features may fail. Leaving the operator’s hands free, they significantly reduce the risk of injury while speeding up productivity.
While there are several other benefits of press brake safety devices, you can find additional devices on our Press Brake Safety Devices page, not all of them necessarily increase productivity or decrease productivity. However, they all provide additional safety features. Check out that page if you are interested in additional safety devices that are not necessarily related to productivity.
2. Employee Morale
Productivity increasing can be a big reason that employee morale would begin to increase within a workplace, but the benefits of press brake safety devices will also increase employee morale making employees more likely to be confident in the safety of where they are working. Productivity increase and employee morale can work off of each other quite well. While the laser sentry allows a speed up of productivity by making corrections on the fly or maintaining consistent workflow, employee morale will also increase allowing for a greater sense of accomplishment by the end of the day. On top of that, comes a peace of mind knowing that your safety is increased by knowing if foreign objects are detected, the laser technology will retract immediately. Similarly, the light curtains allow for a greater sense of accomplishment due to the increase in productivity. No restraints, straps, physical barriers, and less manpower will lead to a more satisfied employee.
Aside from the productivity and morale relation, there is a satisfaction that will come with less strain put on employees during manual labor which is one of the other benefits of press brake safety devices. With the light curtains requiring less manpower, that will not only save time but it will also cause less strain on your employees in the long run. If an employee is coming home less tired and less strained then they will be more satisfied and will more than likely have a higher outlook on the company. Another example is the press brake sheet follower. This is an additional safety device that keeps operators safe when working with large pieces of metal. It is designed to guide heavy pieces of metal safely. This will cause employees less strain on their bodies by only having to operate the hydraulic arms that hold the metal in place. An additional safety device that could potentially increase employee morale would be a two-person control device. A two-person control device requires two operators to work together decreasing the risk of operator error which in turn might allow employees to feel safer knowing they are not the only one working on the device.
Employee morale is defined as the job satisfaction, outlook, and feelings of well-being an employee has within a workplace setting. The satisfaction, outlook, and feelings of well-being will all be improved if the press brake safety devices are installed and put to good use. Whether it is the relation of the productivity increase creating a sense of accomplishment within the employee or the reduction of strain put on the employees through less demanding manual labor, there are many benefits of press brake safety devices that will be sure to increase employee morale significantly.
3. Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) Compliance
OSHA standards are important for workplace safety. OSHA stands for Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The US Congress found OSHA in 1970 as part of the US Department of Labor. The goal was to establish a regulatory standard for workplaces with potentially hazardous or dangerous environments. Its guidelines protect both employees and employers from accidents and injuries in the workplace. The OSHA enforces standards for the workplace, and seeks to inform and educate about the risks involved with using various machinery and equipment. The benefit here is that it validates the benefits of press brake safety devices. OSHA giving a letter of approval and stating that it is effective and it reliably prevents worker injury completely validates the productivity increase and employee morale increase. Without the validation of OSHA, the above 2 benefits of productivity increase and employee morale increase could simply be exaggerated or made up even. But with OSHA, the benefits of press brake safety devices become official.
OSHA’s Letter of Approval
According to OSHA’s letter of approval for our presence sensing devices:
“A laser guarding device may be considered an electronic safety device, pursuant to 1910.212(a)(1), and would not be in violation of 1910.212(a)(3) [in conjunction with a hydraulic press brake], if it effectively and reliably prevents worker injury by controlling the zone of danger described.”
For full detail, view our OSHA Letter of Approval.
Contact Us About the Benefits of Press Brake Safety Devices
Keeping your employees safe is very important, but you also want those employees to be more productive as well as satisfied. Start taking advantage the benefits of press brake safety devices today by visiting our contact page or giving us a call at 1-800-516-5516