Many of the products we use in our daily lives may seem simple enough, but they are actually the product of a complex and technical manufacturing process. A large number of these processes will involve drills, saws, and mills that must be operated by experienced and certified personnel.
When using these machines, strict and sophisticated safety guidelines need to be followed, and safety equipment such as protective clothing and machine guards must be used to protect both the operator and those around them. But while our favourite products are being produced, who is producing this safety equipment?
This is where companies such as Sponmech Safety Systems can help. Sponmech has been producing both bespoke and off-the-shelf machine guards and safety fences since 1980. Based in Birmingham, England, they are the largest manufacturer of acoustic enclosures in the West Midlands and have worked with a broad range of industries including automotive, food and drink, and construction.
In some workshops, space may be limited, meaning there is not enough room for a hinged door to be fully opened. To ensure the needs of every customer are met, Sponmech designed and produced a machine guard with a sliding door, taking up as small a space as possible while still adhering to safety regulations. For this system to work efficiently and effectively, Sponmech turned to Albert Jagger, an experienced distributor of industrial hardware, to find the perfect slide for the job.
Thanks to its reliability and strength Albert Jagger a heavy-duty slide with a load rating of 272kg, making it durable enough for use with the guard’s heavy metal doors, while its length of up to 1.5m was ideal for the large frame. The slide is easy to install despite its size and strength and enhanced with shock-absorbing ball-retainers to reduce disruptive impact noise.
In the manufacturing industry within Great Britain, 12% of non-fatal injuries in 2018/2019 occurred due to contact with machinery, so safeguarding measures such as machine guards are still incredibly important even as production technology becomes more sophisticated.