Hydraulic safety should be a priority because accidents can happen at any time even to experienced operators. Therefore, ensuring that your workers have learned and understood all the safety guidelines is very important. These are some of the tips that you should follow to guarantee safety:
 

1. Identify areas that have problems

According to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), these are the four areas where problems might occur simply because the operator has a greater interaction with the hydraulic press machine. These areas are:

• When starting or stopping a press cycle
• When feeding materials into the machine
• When positioning materials in the hydraulic
• When taking materials out of the press

When materials are fed into the press machine, the chances of the operator’s fingers, hands or feet getting close to the moving parts is high. In addition, the type of material that’s being fed to the machine can increase the chances of getting an accident. For instance, if the materials are heavy, sharp and oddly shaped, they can be hard to control thus making it hard to feed or get them out of the press machine.
 

2. Make the processes safer

To make the process safer, all press operators need to be educated on safety procedures, how to use the machines and how to avoid accidents. In case the shop buys a new machine, proper instructions and training should be carried out to ensure everyone has the knowledge of using the machine.

Secondly, having a clean shop makes it safer and easy for workers to move around. A clean floor reduces the chances of slipping, falling or tripping. In addition, it is easier to find what you are looking for because the floor is not decluttered. These are additional components that can improve safety in a hydraulic press:

• Dual palm buttons
• Pump and motor enclosure
• Having barrier safety guards
• Guarded foot pedals
• Using hand tools to keep the operator’s limbs away from the press
• Emergency stop button
• Having electronic safety devices that stop the hydraulic press machine in case the sense the operator is nearby/close
• Keeping the controls of the machine away from the die area
• 2- Hand tripping devices

3. Using a security kit to improve the safety of your shop

The security kit you get after buying a press machine follows OSHA safety standards to reduce accidents and incidents when using the machine. The electrical panel of a press has the following safety kits:

• A special electrical valve
• E -stop near the levers
• A by-pass key switch for maintenance
• An additional manifold
• E-stop on electrical penal
• The guards have safety switches and polycarbonate
  
• Wiring and piping in case any additional installations are required
• Jog mode that advances without pressure

The hydraulic press has its own guard components to increase worker protection. In case any of these four guards are opened, the press machine shifts to jog mode at low pressure. This is necessary to reduce the severity of an accident in case any happens. If the operator needs do not need to use the jog mode, he can turn the key to the ON position. When the key is turned to ON position, the press machine switches to full pressure even though the guards are open. The guard components of a hydraulic press machine are:

• Front safety guard
• Back safety guard
• Right side safety guard
• Left side safety guard

There is also a Lexan (Polycarbonate) sheet that’s one-quarter of an inch both at the front and at the back of the press machine. Safety should be a priority when using a press machine or when around one. Finally, simple things like routine inspections of all press machines, material storage areas, hoses and adhering to safety regulations can reduce downtime and go a long way in ensuring worker safety.