The North American Die Casting Association (NADCA) says that safety precautions are to be mandatorily adopted in die casting since the personal injury rate in the industry is about twice of that in other manufacturing segments. The precautions proposed by NADCA safeguard the die casters in a foundry and make sure all the die cast products are finished with due caution.
Below are three of the safety precautions which would preempt personal injuries such as burns due to molten metal, hot castings, hot oil, and heat from die casting tooling; abrasions and cuts occurring from castings and flash; slips and falls due to improper housekeeping as well as fractures occurring due to unsafe foundry standards.
#1 Machine Safety
Devices such as a fixed guard would safeguard operators from the commonly occurred machine hazards in die casting companies. The fixed guards would provide a barrier that prevents people from reaching into a machine if or when the operator stays away and no matter how unlikely that may be in a state-of-the-art foundry.
#2 Manufacturing Precautions
The ideal time to find out whether a foundry machine is working smoothly is at the beginning of a die casting cycle and not in between. Die casters would ensure the machines are clean and the cyclical manufacturing is good to go right up. Die casting companies yield perfect net shape in a component where followed safeguards will complete the manufacturing process on time.
#3 Protective Gears
Also known as the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), the protective gears are worn by die casters while melting, casting, trimming, machining, and finishing. The PPE would include safety glasses, ear protection, as well as safety shoes, which are worn at all times, when the die casters are involved in component manufacturing.
Importance of Safety in Die Casting Companies
Most of the accidents while manufacturing components occur in a foundry when people lose focus or don’t pay heed to what they do. Die casting involves high levels of heat as well as molten metal, and hence it is necessary to take precautions while manufacturing alloys. NADCA provides safety information and produce safety materials as well as programs directed towards assisting die casting companies in reducing mishaps and personal injuries.
NADCA Safety Award Program was developed to praise corporate members who surpass the average United States safety standards for all manufacturing in a calendar year.