Federal budget makes Canada a tariff-free zone for machinery and equipment. BY SIMON FRIDLYAND The 2010 Canadian federal budget takes further action to improve conditions for investment in manufacturing, enhance competition, and reduce barriers for businesses. It makes Canada a tariff-free zone for industrial manufacturers by eliminating all remaining tariffs on machinery [...]
Often, clearing jams, making settings and cleaning operations are mistaken for maintenance activities that require lockout. But this is not the most productive or necessary way to operate a machine. BY SIMON FRIDLYAND Preventing access to moving parts is regulated, in Ontario, by the provincial Occupational Health and Safety Act, and throughout [...]
Global standards to be used in Canada regarding the safe use of hazardous materials in the workplace. Canada's Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) is going to change -- after remaining essentially unchanged for more than two decades. WHMIS is a comprehensive program for providing information on the hazards and safe use [...]
We all hope that a pandemic will not affect us, however we need to be ready should it arrive. BY SIMON FRIDLYAND The flu season is upon us. Scary headlines about H1N1 -- the swine flu virus -- appear in the media almost daily. The infectious pandemic obviously should be taken seriously, because [...]
Owners vs. Suppliers: Who’s Responsible for Compliance? To avoid unnecessary liability, many purchasers of machinery and equipment pass the responsibility for PSRs on to their suppliers. BY SIMON FRIDLYAND Many of my clients who are engineers complain that they are experts in their specific fields but might not necessarily be experts in [...]
Buying new equipment outside of Canada can cause frustrating problems when local safety regulations apply. BY SIMON FRIDLYAND Importing new equipment from another country isn't so simple as setting it up and turning it on. Various regulations come into place, particularly regarding the safety of the equipment for those using it and [...]
When times are good, companies are too busy to upgrade equipment, such as adding machine guarding. Slower times provide this opportunity. The productivity from enhanced machine guarding alone can increase employee productivity by 25%. BY SIMON FRIDLYAND The value of Canadian manufacturing sales – heavily dependent on exports to the beleaguered United [...]
Industrial facilities need proper and effective dust control to keep workers safe. BY SIMON FRIDLYAND A huge explosion and fire at the Imperial Sugar refinery northwest of Savannah, GA, on February 7, 2008, caused 14 deaths and injured 38 others, including 14 with serious and life-threatening burns. In the four months following that [...]
The dangers to workers from arc flash are so high that a new CSA arc flash standard is scheduled to be released at the end of 2008. BY: SIMON FRIDLYAND Every single day, it is estimated that between five and 10 arc flash explosions occur in electrical equipment in the U. S. A., [...]
Dust in the air creates a harsh and dangerous environment for both workers and equipment. Following the proper guidelines and regulations can ensure a high degree of safety by preventing unexpected dust explosions. BY: SIMON FRIDLYAND One of many types of severe-service environments in which machinery and workers must operate is where dust, [...]
