The Prevention of the Injuries Through the Mold Design of the Press Machine in South of Korea

AbstractIndustrial injuries have been identified as one of the key economic development inhibitors in South Korea. Industrial injury rate during the last ten years was reported as 0.7%, and has been kept at around 0.6% from 2010 to the present. The number of industrial injury in 2010 was 90,842 among total 98,645 injuries, and 16,881 injuries were from caught-in or between injuries. In 2008, the injuries from being caught-in or between by press machine was 1,655, which was identified as the main of caught-in or between injuries. It needs various methods to prevent injuries by the press machine. To reduce the accidents from press machine analysis of related accidents during the last three years and surveys for workers’ safety consciousness were conducted. And, it sought a method to apply the protective principle of the safety devices to the mold. From the accident analysis, it was shown that many accidents occurred when small materials were handled by hands near the mold of the full revolution clutch type press, and hand operating types caused more accidents than foot operating types. From surveys, workers were found to operate pressing job ignoring safety from habit or/and for high productivity, though they are aware of the danger. As a means of injury prevention by the safety device's protective principle, it suggested sequential refusal type as an alternative to overcome seclusion type of risk zone. And, to secure fundamental safety, it suggested a way not for part of body to slide into the risk zone from the existing method in which material feeding was originally made by hands. In addition, it suggested of using Presence Sensing Device Initiation (PSDI) safety device instead of foot operating switch. Finally, it suggested more intensive inspection, education and management by safety supervision authorities