Safer bandsaw on display at foodpro

The safety of workers in the meat industry was the motivation for Australian meat processing equipment manufacturer Thompson Meat Machinery to develop and patent a sensor that reduces the severity of bandsaw injuries.

BladeStop is a unique sensor band worn on the arm, wrist or waist of the operator under protective clothing. A microcontroller stops the blade within 15 ms of sensing the operator’s body, dramatically reducing any laceration intensity.

The BladeGuard is a pneumatic feature that deactivates when the operator releases the pedal. The BladeGuard can be set to a specific height, minimising operator exposure to the blade.

The technology was developed in collaboration with Machinery Automation and Robotics and Meat & Livestock Australia as part of the ‘Thompson Tough’ commitment to high-quality equipment.

Both features ensure that worker injury is significantly reduced, lowering downtime and compensation claims. Research conducted by WorkCover NSW revealed that bandsaws are responsible for an average of 20 working days lost due to injury, some of which are horrific amputations.

Thompson’s 400 Bandsaw, which features both BladeStop and BladeGuard technology, can be seen at foodpro 2014, Australasia’s largest food processing exhibition.

foodpro 2014 will run from Sunday 22 June to Wednesday 25 June at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Southbank. To learn more about foodpro 2014 or to register for free entry, visit www.foodproexh.com.