Safety Audit Checklist
Introduction to NADCA Machine Safety Requirement Audit In 1999 the NADCA Safety committee started the
development of Safety Requirements for the Design, Manufacture,
Maintenance, and Operation of Die Casting Machines. The first version
of the standard was approved for use in 2000. As technology changed and
feedback was provided the standard was revised. In 2006 the standard was
updated as NADCA B152.1-2006. The standard applies to die machines, dies
and there integration with metal delivery systems, die lubrication systems,
and casting extraction systems. The purpose of this standard is to minimize
safety hazards to employees operating die casting machines. Installing and
maintaining proper safety equipment should be a top priority in every die
casting facility. However, safety devices alone cannot guarantee safety.
In order to maintain safe conditions employees must be trained in safe
practices. Employees should also be encouraged to think safe. A checklist has been created to assist in the
compliance with the B152.1 standards. The checklist can be found on the
NADCA website. This checklist addresses clauses 4-6, and 8-10 in the
standard. The uncovered sections provide definitions and added
information. For clarifying information the Safety Requirements for the
Design, Manufacture, and Operation of Die Casting Machine book also
contains Annex information. Many illustrations are contained in these
annexes. The purpose is to clarify the standards with a pictorial
reference. Many of the clauses in the checklist have multiple
questions that apply. The purpose of multiple questions is to confirm the
proper installation and use of safety devices. Keep in mind that safety
devices found on a die casting machine can be hazardous if not used
properly. Therefore, if full compliance is not established the die casting
machine remains unsafe. All applicable questions must be answered
affirmatively in order to effectively use safety equipment. Fulfilling all applicable die casting machine safety
standards may appear to be a daunting task. To assist in this task NADCA
has developed the machine safety audit tool. Its purpose is to quickly
highlight areas of the die casting machines that are not compliant with the
2006 standards. The tool is an audit that reflects the current checklist.
At the start of this audit the auditor is allowed to add, remove, and select
machines. Once a machine has been selected the audit record is created or
opened for editing. The questions listed in the checklist should be
answered by selecting a Yes, No, or N/A response. Ideally the response to
every question will be Yes or N/A. If the response is, “No” then a
hazardous state has been identified. Reports generated by the software provide information
on current compliance levels and how to achieve complete compliance. On the
start page the level of compliance in each section for the selected machine
are reported. This provides a quick identifier of the level of compliance a
given machine has achieved. This software can also report statistics based
on all the machines. This report will indicates the level of compliance for
each machine in each section. Figure 1:
Example of Plant Status report It also indicates the section of greatest compliance,
least compliance, average compliance, safest machine, and least safe
machine. This information can be used to attack safety issues on a plant
wide basis or machine specific. To achieve complete compliance the violated standards
must be brought into conformance. During the audit, reports can be
generated that display these violations. This report applies to the machine
that is currently being audited. The figure below is an example of such a
report. Figure 2:
Example of section report. These reports use a two column format identical to the
printed standards. The left side is the standard requirement. This column
provides the requirements of the standard. The right side is reserved for
explanatory information. This information is not part of the standard and
is intended to clarify its associated standard. For interpretations and clarifications regarding
specific clauses in the standards, consult NADCA’s website (http://www.diecasting.org/safety/interpretation.htm).
Here some clarification is already provided, or a form can be filled out to
request more interpretations. Comments and suggested improvements of this
audit are welcome. These should be sent to the Secretary of the NADCA
Safety Committee, North American Die Casting Association, 241 Holbrook
Drive, Wheeling, Illinois 60090.
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