Papermachines: Unsafe at any speed?

This is not a learned dissertation, but is intended to engender consideration and discussion. The paper asserts that - Papermachines can be safe to operate. - Existing machines can be made safe at quite reasonable cost. - There exists a perception that they are inherently unsafe. - This occurs at machine floor as well as board room level. The author was recently involved in upgrading three machines at KCA Millicent, to bring them into line with the Australian Machinery Safety Standard AS4024 (1). To date the industry has relied heavily on training and procedural methods to provide a safe operating environment. This is so reminiscent of the general belief in the Ralph Nader period that motor cars were inherently dangerous, and that the only workable approach was to train better drivers. How much has that situation changed in 50 years? In a new machine, the 'difficult' areas, such as the reel, winder, and roll handling, would be automated and interlock guarded. But it is still possible for an old machine to be modified to comply with the codes. The author's experience suggests that reasonable OHS risk levels (which is all that legislation demands) can be achieved at modest cost, with minimal impact on operating efficiencies. The vast majority of the required engineering additions are simple fixed guarding, applied in such a way as to allow for routine cleaning, testing, and fabric changes.