American Packaging Machinery Safety Standards 2006
The U.S. government is committed to ensuring workplace safety, and has enacted several standards to ensure the safety of those who use packaging machinery. The American Packaging Machinery Safety Standards 2006 (APMS 2006) is an important safety regulation issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the U.S. Department of Labor. The regulation sets performance-based requirements for the design, manufacture, installation and use of packaging machinery to ensure that it is safe for its intended use.
The APMS 2006 establishes the requirements for the design, construction, and performance of packaging machinery. In particular, it requires components and systems of the machinery to be designed and constructed in such a way that injury or damage from operation of the machinery is minimized. Further, the regulation outlines specific performance requirements for specific types of packaging machinery. These requirements cover areas such as guarding and protective devices, interlock systems, power transmission systems, and safety controls.
The APMS 2006 sets requirements concerning the assembly, installation, and use of packaging machinery. This includes requirements for the safe access to the packaging machinery, as well as instructions to the operator on how to safely use the machinery and reduce hazards that may arise. It also outlines the requirements which must be met if the operator carries out maintenance on the machinery. Additionally, the regulationalso sets requirements for noise levels, air contaminations, and other environmental issues and machine-generated vibrations.
The APMS 2006 applies to all packaging production machinery used for the packaging of products for commercial purposes. This includes all types of machinery that fill, seal, store, process and package products. The regulation does not apply to products classified as mechanical handling equipment, nor does it apply to equipment used for transporting materials, products, or tools when such equipment is not connected to the production machinery.
Overall, the American Packaging Machinery Safety Standards 2006 regulation ensures that the operators of packaging machinery are operating it in a safe and secure manner. As such, employers and other workplace operators are encouraged to consider how to best comply with this regulation in their operation of packaging machinery.
In order to meet the requirements of the APMS 2006, operators should compare the performance requirements of their packaging machinery with the requirements mandated by the regulation. Additionally, operators should ensure that all components of the machinery are in good condition, and should ensure that the machinery is being operated in compliance with the regulations. Finally, operators should periodically inspect the machinery to ensure that it continues to meet the safety requirements outlined in the regulation.
