OSHA Releases Thermoforming Module

“This new module of the Machine Guarding eTool is another example of how OSHA is making valuable information easily accessible to employers and employees so they can build and sustain a safe and healthful work environment,” said OSHA Administrator Edwin Foulke Jr. “It is important that we make every effort to help put educational materials into the hands of stakeholders to improve employee safety and health on the job.”

The new module goes into detail about the various stages of the thermoforming process, including loading a roll of plastic onto a roll-fed thermoformer machine and threading the plastic into it through end-feed rollers. It also examines the forming, trimming and stacking process and how employers and employees can avoid the hazards associated with these processes.

It can be accessed at http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/products/etools/machineguarding/plastics/thermoform_machine.html.

The Thermoforming module was developed with input from the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) Inc. as part of the OSHA and SPI Alliance.