Crescent Machinery, a Group Rhodes company which provides service and maintenance for all types of sheet metal and folding machinery, is expanding its machine guarding and PUWER (Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations) assessment service.

The company has responded to an increasing demand in the market for specialist guarding for all machine tools to ensure companies remain compliant with PUWER regulations.
Since Crescent Machinery was acquired by Group Rhodes in 2017, the company is now able to offer the latest 3D Auto Desk Inventor to enable customers to visualise exactly what their machine guarding would look like.  This has also resulted in Crescent Machinery securing a number of contract opportunities with government bodies, as well as major manufacturers in the private sector.

Steve Jackson, Technical Sales Manager at Crescent Machinery, explains: “In today’s manufacturing operations it is essential to ensure that all employees are protected and can operate in a safe and healthy working environment. We provide a complete service ranging from an initial assessment of existing equipment, to designing and manufacturing guarding to ensure the company complies with PUWER legislation.  This includes providing bespoke machine guarding solutions for equipment large and small.”

According to PUWER Regulations, businesses must take effective measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery in order to minimise risks. This normally means that guarding needs to be in place which prevents a worker from being in contact with dangerous moving parts.  Under PUWER regulations, inspection of machinery should be carried out by a trained and fully competent person to ensure it is correctly installed and does not deteriorate.  It also covers factors such as that operatives must have received adequate training and instruction on use of the equipment.

Crescent Machinery’s assessment service means its specialists can identify hazards and items that can cause harm.  The company provides risk reduction solutions to ensure all types of machinery complies with PUWER legislation with minimum impact on operational efficiency and productivity.

The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act introduced back in 2007 meant that, for the first time, organisations could be found guilty of corporate manslaughter as a result of management failure, resulting in a gross breach of their duty of care.

Businesses are therefore recognising how vitally important it is to protect their staff and to reduce their own risk.

Crescent Machinery was formed in 1989 with the aim of providing quality new and used machinery to customers operating in the Metal Pressing and Sheet Metal Fabrication Industries. In 2017, Crescent Machinery became part of Group Rhodes and now operates from its 60,000sq.ft headquarters in Wakefield.

For more information or to receive a quote on machine guarding for your business, contact Steve Jackson at Crescent Machinery on 01924 371161 or visit the website: www.grouprhodes.co.uk.