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4. INSTALLATION
WARNING
TAPESWITCH SAFETY MAT SYSTEMS ARE DESIGNED TO PROTECT
OPERATORS WORKING AT OR NEAR DANGEROUS MACHINES. THEY CAN
ONLY PERFORM THAT FUNCTION IF THEY ARE CORRECTLY FITTED AND
INTERFACED TO A SUITABLE MACHINE. EVERY EFFORT HAS BEEN MADE IN
THE PRODUCTION OF THIS MANUAL TO PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE AND
ACCURATE INFORMATION. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE USER TO
ENSURE THAT ALL PERSONS INVOLVED IN THE INSTALLATION OF THE
PRODUCT HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE, TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE NECESSARY
AND THAT THEY ARE FULLY CONVERSANT WITH ALL LAWS, RULES,
REGULATIONS AND CODES OF PRACTICE PERTAINING TO THEIR TASK.
4.1 GENERAL
The attention of the installer is drawn to the
following general requirements for the
installation of a Tapeswitch safety mat system:
(a)
The machine must be electrically
controllable.
(b)
It must be possible to stop the dangerous
motion of the machine at any point in its
operation, in any operating mode.
(c)
The control system as a whole must be
designed to provide the level of safety integrity
determined by the risk assessment.
(d)
Steps must be taken to prevent access to
the dangerous parts of the machine from any
direction not covered by the sensor. Such
steps could include fixed or interlocking fences
or screens, additional pressure sensitive mats
or photo-electric devices.
(e)
Steps must be taken to prevent a person
standing in the dangerous area without standing
on the sensor. The inner surfaces of fixed
mechanical fencing should be designed such
that there are no ledges or steps on which a
person could stand and thereby avoid the
sensor. It may be necessary to fit additional
mechanical barriers, covers etc. to cover any
surfaces within the dangerous area on which
a person could stand, such as the feet of the
machine. Particular attention should be paid
to the edge of the mat nearest to the machine.
Ensure that a person tip-toeing at the front of
the machine will still be standing on the active
area of the mat. See Figure 5.
(f)
Wherever possible rectangular mats of
standard sizes should be used. Where this is
not possible, due to obstructions, mats with
edge or corner cutouts and even with holes
can be specified. This should only be done
where the obstructions are permanent.