Hachtman stressed that there have been no injuries associated with bandsaw usage at the Henderson facility for over the last 5 years. IFCO’s Colorado facility has scheduled an informal conference with the OSHA Area Director to begin the process of addressing these concerns.
“Band saw pallet dismantling machines are widely used and a valuable component in the pallet recycling industry,” Hachtman added. "IFCO has worked closely with OSHA and machine manufacturers to insure these machines are safe while also able to operate efficiently. While we will continue to work with OSHA we will also aggressively defend IFCO from the proposed citation. We will also continue our tireless effort to provide IFCO employees with the safest workplace possible.”
“It is a challenge for pallet recyclers to know what guarding is going to be acceptable,” Hachtman said. He cautioned pallet industry bandsaw owners that from their experience, factory supplied guarding may no longer be acceptable to OSHA, and that the 12” danger zone is no longer adequate.
