ROSS CONTROLS® announces its new book "Fluid Power Safety for Machine Guarding" and the accompaning program "Risk Locator for Machinery with Pneumatic Power" (coming soon!). The book covers safety-related topics pertinent to machine guarding for pneumatic equipment.

ROSS CONTROLS® announces its new book "Fluid Power Safety for Machine Guarding" and the accompaning program "Risk Locator for Machinery with Pneumatic Power" (coming soon!). The book covers safety-related topics pertinent to machine guarding for pneumatic equipment. Topics include control integrity, energy isolation, alternative lockout, risk assessment for fluid power, safety standards, clutch/brake controls for mechanical presses, understanding press counterbalance systems, as well as a frequently asked questions segment.

Safety standards and how they apply to fluid power equipment (both pneumatic and hydraulic) are discussed at length with examples on how to get started with risk assessment. Also, the book includes references to important safety standards.

Following is an excerpt from the book:

Safety has changed at a rapid pace during the last few years. Designers and safety managers struggle to keep up with recent changes as well as with predicting and planning for what is coming in the near future. The most recent changes are bringing new meanings to some old words.

Safety is being redefined to extend beyond the traditional injury to workers and now includes trying to avoid injury to all employees, visitors, guests, contractors, etc., that might be exposed to a machine as well as damage to the machine, other company assets, and harm to the environment. Safety is truly becoming a primary item in a company loss prevention program, along with insurance and other types of exposure controls. With the introduction of these latest standards, some of the previous strict guidelines are being given user defineability and flexibility. This brings added responsibility to the employer to locate risks that can be created unknowingly by an improperly designed solution.

It is commonly accepted that there is no such thing as zero risk, even though that is still the goal. The new task-based assessment process allows for risks that are tolerable to the company. Again this places a responsibility on the employer to select appropriate limits used during this assessment process to not avoid enhancing safety when opportunities exist.

The Risk Locator program prompts the user to answer questions about a machine's operation, then points out areas of safety concern that should be considered when performing a risk assessment of the equipment.

The book is available in printed and electronic format. The printed version can be requested through Ross or your local distributor; or you may download the PDF version.