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Press Brake Safety Regulations

A press brake is a special type of machine tool used to bend and manipulate sheet metal into shape. Many consider metal formation through use of a press brake to be an art because results depend on the skill level of the press operator. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), "...most press brake operations do not require the operators to place their hands or any part of their body into the point of operation..." Nevertheless, accidents still occur in which injuries are incurred.

  1. Presence Sensing Devices

    • Federal regulations are designed to help prevent accidental exposure to the press brake's actual point of operation. Means employed to prevent point of operation exposure and injury include the use of presence sensing devices (PSD), two-hand controls, pullbacks and restraints. Of the four, the most common are the PSD devices, also known as light curtains. A PSD prevents the press from stroking if any part of the operator's body is within the sensing field and exposed to the point of operation. According to OSHA, "Proper use of this device provides protection for workers in production modes of operation." Light curtains must meet OSHA specifications before they can be installed as a valid point-of-operation safeguard. An additional regulation forbids presence sensing devices to be used on machines that use full-revolution clutches.

    Two-Hand Controls

    • Two-hand controls provide another way of keeping the operator's hands from the point of operation during the entire time the machine makes a stroke. Every two-hand control has to meet OSHA's construction requirements. OSHA also provides a safety distance formula for two-hand controls. It requires the distance determined by the safety distance formula to be greater than the safety distance between the hand control devices and the point of operation. Another safety precaution is found in section 1910.217(c)(3)(vii)(d) of the Machinery and Machine Guarding regulations. The regulation specifies that the "Two-hand controls' position must be fixed so that only a supervisor or safety engineer is capable of relocating them."

    Pullbacks/Pullouts

    • Pullbacks, also known as pullouts, are used to literally pull the operator's hands out of the point of operation area when the power press makes a stroke. Safety regulations specify that each operator must be provided a separate device if more than one operator is on the press. Also, at the beginning of each operator's shift, regulations require the pullout device to be inspected for proper adjustment. Operators secure adjustable wristbands around both wrists. When the press stroke begins, the wristbands are pulled away from the point of operation by the pullback device. An overhead version is available for producing small to medium-sized parts or for long-run jobs.

    Restraints/Holdouts

    • Restraint press brake safety devices are referred to as holdouts. Restraints are adjusted and anchored so the operator never reaches the point of operation. Restraint devices are of different types, including the arm-type restraint. The size and type of the press determines the size and type of the restraint needed. The arm restraint must be constructed to meet federal safety requirements. Regulation arm restraints are made of one inch square steel tubing and are required to be 24 inches long with nylon straps that are 42 inches long. These dimensions allow for free hand movement, whether operating from a standing or from a sitting position.

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