Accidents at work with machinery
While it seems that processes in manufacturing plants in Europe and the States are airtight, statistics leave no illusions. Every year while working with machinery:
- in Poland, about 50 people die;
- in Europe, about 500 people die;
- in the US, about 350 people die.
Accidents that prevent a worker from doing their job, that is, send them on sick leave or cause permanent damage to their health, are much more common. Where, then, lays the problem?
Causes of accidents at work
OHS professionals make every effort to make factory sites safe for workers. They conduct proper training, implement safety procedures, and invest in safety systems. Unfortunately, their hard work can be in vain when workers decide not to follow instructions: they bypass security, fail to follow procedures or even come to work under the influence of banned substances. Fatal or seriously injurious accidents most often occur in these situations.
Fortunately, Thermosafety can save people or limit the injuries they may suffer even in these seemingly hopeless cases. This is made possible by human recognition algorithms and fast reaction times. If a person is in the danger zone designated for the device, Thermosafety will stop its operation and prevent a dangerous situation.
Our system will find application in any manufacturing industry.
Here Thermosafety can save health and lives
Fatal accident at a waste sorting plant in Warsaw, Poland, 2023
In January, Poland was shaken by news of the death of a foreman at a waste sorting plant in Warsaw. The man was trying to manually unlock a jammed garbage shredding machine. Unexpectedly, the machine started up and dragged him inside. Unfortunately, the man could not be saved.
How could Thermosafety help in this situation?
One of Thermosafety’s main goals is to secure difficult-to-safeguard machines and prevent accidents resulting from human error.
A worker entering the danger zone would make it impossible to start the machine. The foreman would be able to safely remove the interlock and safely leave the area afterward. At the same time, Thermosafety would not react to debris, even if it deceptively resembled a human being. All other safety devices could not be used here, as the trash itself would activate the devices. [source]
Fatal accident at a French fries factory in Perdizes, Brazil, 2022
While performing her duties, a worker lost her balance and fell onto a conveyor belt transporting potatoes to a slicer. Although it was turned off before the fall, it started up after the fall. The machine killed the woman. Everything happened so fast that her co-workers did not have time to react.
How could Thermosafety help in this situation?
One of Thermosafety’s main goals is to secure difficult-to-safeguard machines and prevent accidents resulting from human error.
Since the system’s response time is 100 ms, Thermosafety would have stopped the machine in time and prevented the woman’s death.. [source]
Permanent injury as a result of an accident at an OSB manufacturing plant in Strzelce Opolskie, Poland, 2021
A production line maintenance worker was inspecting one of the machines. While he was inside it, the machine’s drum was unexpectedly triggered. The jammed man’s leg was cut off by the machine. Fortunately, he managed to survive the accident.
How could Thermosafety help in this situation?
One of Thermosafety’s main goals is to secure difficult-to-safeguard machines and prevent accidents resulting from human error.
Thermosafety would have detected that there was a human in the danger zone covering the machine and prevented the machine from starting. [source]
Fatal accident at a paper factory in Włocławek, Poland, 2020
Under unknown circumstances, a nearly 60-year-old man ended up on the conveyor belt of a production line. According to the prosecutor’s office, the machine was properly protected, the training had no irregularities, and the accident was most likely the result of the employee’s improper use of the machine.
How could Thermosafety help in this situation?
One of Thermosafety’s main goals is to secure difficult-to-safeguard machines and prevent accidents resulting from human error.
Upon detecting the presence of a human in the danger zone, Thermosafety would immediately stop the machine, preventing an accident. [source]
Fatal accident at a car factory in Baunatal, Germany, 2015
An assembly robot grabbed a factory worker and slammed him against a metal sheet. The man was starting the start-up procedure while inside the metal safety cage.
How could Thermosafety help in this situation?
One of Thermosafety’s main goals is to secure difficult-to-safeguard machines and prevent accidents resulting from human error.
Once a human is detected in the robot’s safety cage, Thermosafety’s system would not allow the machine to resume operation until the human exits the danger area. The robots and workpieces themselves do not activate Thermosafety, unlike, for example, scanners and other such devices. [source]
