Guillotines in the work place
When operating an electric guillotine, it is extremely important that you are working in a safe and responsible manner. This applies both to the electric guillotine as well as the operator. Currently UK Health and Safety Legislation requires all guillotines to be inspected at 6 monthly intervals, where all mechanical. electrical and (if any) hydraulic systems are checked to ensure they are within Health and Safety as well as manufacturers specifications. Most importantly the guillotine’s safety features are calibrated and tested using the necessary testing equipment, the results are then recorded and kept in a Health and Safety log book. The Health and Safety Executive legislation indicates that the 6 monthly testing should be carried out by an independent, fully trained and competent engineer with the appropriate liability insurances. The engineers will have many years experience dealing with a large range of models of powered guillotines from manufactures such as Ideal Guillotines, EBA Guillotines, Polar Guillotines and many more. If you are not sure about your engineers background, you should always ask as they would always be happy to show evidence of their qualifications, insurances etc.
Regular servicing ensures smooth operation of the Guillotine, regular preventative maintenance reduces the risk of unwanted breakdowns by identifying problems before they arise , machine downtime is reduced and productivity is increased not to mention a better conditioned machine has added value in a resale market.
A good, reputable engineer will also change the guillotine blades as part of the regular service and check that they are within the manufacturers guidelines as repeated sharpening reduces the depth of the guillotine blade over time, especially if the operator accidentally nicks or damages the blade. Usually the engineer will replace the old blade with a newly sharpened spare guillotine blade and take the blunt guillotine blade for sharpening and replacement on the next visit to the guillotine.
The best Guillotine service option for all Guillotines
Guillotine Health and Safety checks can be done on an ad-hoc basis, however the most popular way is to have a Service Agreement, here the company responsible for maintaining your guillotine will contact you at 6 monthly intervals to book one of there engineers in to carry out the work, this is the most convenient and popular way for many customers as not only does it save time but it would be more cost effective in the long run, plus the engineer would also be able to maintain any other print finishing equipment on site at the same time.
Many widely used machines that the Health and Safety legislation applies to are as follows:
Ideal 3915, Ideal 4315, Idea 4350, Ideal 4810, Ideal 4815, Ideal 4850, Ideal 4855, ideal 4860, Ideal 5221, Ideal 5255, Ideal 5260, Ideal 6655, Ideal 6660, Ideal 5560, Ideal 5560 LT, Ideal 7260 LT, EBA 4315, EBA 4350, EBA 4815, EBA 4850, EBA 4855, EBA 4860, EBA 550, EBA 551, EBA 5255, EBA 5260, EBA 6655, EBA 6660, EBA 5560LT, EBA 720, EBA 7260LT
If you are unsure if you need a Health and Safety Certificate to operate your guillotine, please contact us here.
Download the HSE publication “The guide to safe use of power-operated paper-cutting guillotines” here
