Reason #1 – Free Safety Talks You can’t argue with Free Stuff! Last week we partnered with Schmersal Canada and Franklin Empire to put on three days of Free Safety Talks. We had full houses in all three locations, Windsor, London and Cambridge, with nearly 60 people participating. We had two great presenters who helped…
Read MoreQ & A: Can Safety PLCs be used for Lockout?
The question of lockout and the use of safety PLCs as a means to meet the lockout requirements comes up more and more frequently these days. Can Safety PLCs be used for lockout? Safety professionals don’t always agree on this controversial topic! During the Free Safety Talks that we did with Schmersal Canada and Franklin Empire, this…
Read MoreSafe Drive Control including Safe Torque Off (STO)
Ed. Note: This article was revised 25-Jul-17 to include information on safe standstill. Safe Drive Control including STO Motor drives are everywhere. From DC variable speed drives and indexing drives, through AC Variable Frequency drives, servo drives and stepper motor drives, the capabilities and the flexibility of these electronic systems has given machine designers unprecedented…
Read More“Industrial Exception” Becomes Permanent in Ontario
The “Industrial Exception” The “Industrial Exception” is a clause in the Ontario Professional Engineer’s Act that permits unlicensed people to do work normally reserved for licenced engineers. Ontario is the only Canadian Province or Territory to have this kind of exception. Ontario Fall Economic Outlook The Ontario Government committed to maintaining the “industrial exception” in the Professional…
Read MorePresence Sensing Devices – Reaching over sensing fields
I recently heard about an application question related to a light curtain where a small gap existed at the top of the sensing field, between the last beam in the field and the surrounding structure of the machine. There was some concern raised about the gap, and whether or not additional guarding might be needed to close the gap.…
Read MoreInterlocking Devices: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
Note: A shorter version of this article was published in the May-2012 edition of Manufacturing Automation Magazine. When designing safeguarding systems for machines, one of the basic building blocks is the movable guard. Movable guards can be doors, panels, gates or other physical barriers that can be opened without using tools. Every one of these guards…
Read MoreUnderstanding the Hierarchy of Controls
(Eds. note: This article was originally written in 2011 and was updated in Nov. 2018.) The “Hierarchy of Controls” is one approach to risk reduction that has become entrenched in the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) sector. There are other approaches to risk reduction which are equally effective but are less rigidly structured. If you…
Read MoreESA Manufacturer’s Registration Deadline postponed
If you’ve been following the discussions on the EMC/PSTC list server and elsewhere about the ESA Manufacturer’s registry in Ontario, you may not be aware that ESA has dropped the August 30 deadline for registration. It seems that the Ontario Government and ESA are reviewing the deadline following a cabinet shake-up at Queen’s Park. There is no word on when or if the deadline will be reinstated. Need to know
Read MoreESA Manufacturer Registration in Ontario, Canada
Do you make electrical products sold in Ontario, Canada? Are you aware of the need to register your company with the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) in order to sell your products legally? If not, spend some time and catch up on the new ESA Manufacturer’s Registry!
Read MoreEmergency Stop – What’s so confusing about that?
I get a lot of calls and emails asking about emergency stops. This is one of those deceptively simple concepts that has managed to get very complicated over time. Not every machine needs or can benefit from an emergency stop. In some cases, it may lead to an unreasonable expectation of safety from the user, which can lead to injury if they don’t understand the hazards involved. Some product-specific standards
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