We have recently seen very high demand for AR roller units for lathes, from customers who want their turning machines to meet the latest health and safety regulations.
What the regulations expect
One way to meet Regulation 11 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) is to follow the best practice in the European safety norm EN ISO 23125:2015. For manually operated lathes, the basics are:
- interlocked chuck guard
- feed and lead screw protection
- saddle or splash guard if the risk of ejection demands it (risk assessment)
- rear fixed guard
- emergency stop
- spindle braking above 1.5hp
- gear drive cover (fixed or interlocked)
Regulation 11(1) of PUWER 1998 also states:
“Every employer shall ensure that measures are taken in accordance with paragraph (2) which are effective (a) to prevent access to any dangerous part of machinery or to any rotating stock-bar; or (b) to stop the movement of any dangerous part of machinery or rotating stock-bar before any part of a person enters a danger zone.”
The regulation defines a “danger zone” as any zone in or around machinery where a person is exposed to a risk to health or safety from contact with a dangerous part of machinery or a rotating stock-bar. A “stock-bar” means any part of a stock-bar that projects beyond the headstock of a lathe.
Where AR roller units fit in
AR roller units cover the feed and lead screws, which is part of making a lathe fully compliant and helps prevent operator injury. They are sold as a pair, in a range of box and blind sizes to suit different machines.
The units are made to the highest standards by Repar2, the Italian specialist in industrial safety products. As Repar2’s official UK agent and distributor, Machine Covers supplies them directly.
Supply and installation
We can visit your site to carry out a full risk assessment and/or deliver and fit your roller units, so you know they are installed correctly and your machine is compliant. Alternatively, you can fit them yourself using our detailed PDF instruction guide.
See our full range of turning machine safety guards.
Not sure what your machine needs? Send us a few photos of the machine through our contact page and our team will review them and recommend suitable guarding.
