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Three roll bending machines | WorkSafe
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Machinery
Three roll bending machines
Three roll bending machines roll sheet metal to form curves.
While this guidance has not been updated to reflect current work health and safety legislation (the
Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and regulations), it may still contain relevant information and
practices to keep workers and others healthy and safe.
Please read this guidance in conjunction with all relevant industry standards that apply to you as a
PCBU. This guidance will be progressively reviewed and either updated, replaced with other
guidance, or revoked.
When sheet metal is placed manually between the rollers, which must turn to secure the metal sheet, fixed
or interlocked guards are impracticable. Plate metal thicker than approximately 6 mm will be placed by
crane to prevent the operator getting too close to the rollers, and reduce the risk of manual handling
injuries.
Figure 1: Three roll bending machines
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Three roll bending machines | WorkSafe
Hazards
Trapping between rollers & metal
Trapping between turning rollers
Contact with sharp edges of metal
Noise
Slips, trips & falls
Entanglement from unexpected movement (during maintenance, cleaning & repairs)
Personal protective equipment (PPE)
Ear protection
Eye protection
Hand protection
Tasks
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Three roll bending machines | WorkSafe
Task – Feed sheet metal through the rollers
HAZARD
Trapping between rollers & metal
HARM
Trapped hands and fingers
Crush injuries
CONTROLS
ENSURE safety devices are in place, such as an emergency stop wire or kick plate.
ENSURE kick panels have a switch at each end.
FIT emergency stop devices on both sides of the machine.
HOLD workpieces back from the edge of the metal, allowing metal to be fed into rollers
without contact.
ONLY WEAR gloves if they are fingerless.
Sheet metal is usually placed by hand between the rollers, which turn together to pull the sheet through. As
it passes between the rollers, the sheet curves to a diameter limited by the size of the rollers. The action
that draws in a metal sheet can also draw in a hand. Finger ends of gloves can become entangled and
draw fingers and hands into nips.
Task – Load & unload
HAZARD
Trapping between turning rollers & moving workpieces
HARM
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Three roll bending machines | WorkSafe
Trapped hands
Crush injuries
CONTROLS
Operation MUST only occur when the machine is in “run” position.
COVER pedals to minimise the chance of accidental starts.
FIT emergency stop devices.
HAZARD
Contact with sharp edges of metal sheets
HARM
Cuts
CONTROLS
WEAR fingerless gloves to protect palms.
Other (non-mechanical) hazards
HAZARD
Noise
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Three roll bending machines | WorkSafe
HARM
Hearing damage or loss
CONTROLS
REDUCE noise levels by isolating machines or enclosing within noise barriers.
ASSESS noise levels.
ARRANGE hearing screenings.
ALWAYS WEAR hearing protection.
A safe noise level over an eight hour day is 85dB(A). A three roll bending machine may exceed this noise
intensity.
HAZARD
Slips, trips and falls
HARM
Trapping
Cuts
Bruising
CONTROLS
KEEP up-to-date housekeeping procedures.
KEEP the area around machines clear of slip and trip hazards.
Task – Maintenance, cleaning & repairs
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Three roll bending machines | WorkSafe
HAZARD
Entanglement from unexpected movement
HARM
Trapped hands and fingers
Crush injuries
CONTROLS
LOCK-OUT all power supplies before maintenance, cleaning and repairs.
KEEP written safety procedures, and ARRANGE regular safety inspections by a competent
person.
REMOVE or LOCK-OUT machines that fail inspection, and DO NOT USE until repaired or
replaced.
Download fact sheet
PDF
Three roll bending machines (PDF 272 KB)
Last updated 2 October 2017 at 16:42
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NZBN: ‍9429041926437
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