Chapter 9 Overview
 Specific hazards working in
die casting plant
 By being aware, they can be avoided,
ensuring a safe work environment
 Obvious hazards are liquid metal and large
powerful machines
9-1
Chapter 9 Objectives
 Correctly
identify personal protective
equipment
 List eight hazards in the die casting
workplace
 List seven steps to safely use compressed
air
 List six steps to safe handling of castings
9-2
Safety in the Workplace
 Safety
is a defensive attitude
 Pursuit of safety requires top management to
be fully committed to safety
 Hazards occurring in the die casting plant:
• Pinch, snag, strike, burn, electric shock, pierce,
slip-fall, trip-fall and fire
9-3
Protective Clothing
Wear natural vs. synthetic clothing
 Cover up

• Shirts with long sleeves,
buttoned at the wrist
• Long pants
• Molder’s boots
• Gloves
• Safety glasses
• Helmut, if required
9-4
Machine Safety
 DCM
has:
• Moving parts, pinch and shear points, lubricants,
hydraulic fluid, and electrical controls
 Particular areas
 Die
of the machine may be hot
casting die
• Hot at operating temperatures, can have pinch
and shear points
 Auxiliary equipment has
considerations
specific safety
9-5
Work Environment:
Trip-fall Hazards
Must keep area
neat and clean
 Tripping obstacles
can cause injury
 Machines have components
that project out

• These are trip-fall hazards
• These items should be painted with standard OSHA color
coding to make them more visible
9-6
Work Environment:
Noise
Excessive noise can be a hazard that can result in
hearing loss
 The combination of noises make it wise to use
hearing protection
 At minimum, earplugs are recommended

9-7
Work Environment:
Slip-fall Hazards
Lubricants, release, cooling
agents often get on the floor
and cause a slip-fall hazard
 Follow good housekeeping practices
 Use surface-drying
compounds on spills
 Follow rigid equipment
maintenance and preventative programs

9-8
Work Environment:
Floor Clutter

Floor clutter creates
slip-fall hazards
• Electric cords, cables,
and hoses running
across the floor
• Process debris such as
scrap, biscuits, runners,
overflows, sprues

All hoses, pipes and cables at floor level should be
in a trench that is properly covered
9-9
Work Environment:
Operator Platforms and Controls

Operator Platforms
• These establish the
proper working height and
prevent fatigue
• Should be of uniform
height for similar machines
• Need to provide a nonskid surface
• Proper working heights minimize physical strain

Controls
• Must be at the proper height to avoid fatigue
9-10
High Pressure Air
 Escaping air
can be noisy and an air blast
can carry small particles of dirt or metal
 Air connections should be secured by strong
couplings and connectors
 Air hoses should be arranged to prevent
tripping hazards
9-11
Steps of High Pressure Air Safety
 Check
all air hose connections before turning
on the air or pressurizing the lines
 When turning air on or off, hold nozzle end of
the hose to prevent whipping of the air line
 Shut off the air before adjusting air tools
 Never point an air nozzle at anyone
9-12
Steps of
High Pressure Air Safety cont.
 Do
not use air to dust off hair or clothing, or
to sweep the floor
 Wear safety glasses when using highpressure air
 Inspect air hoses regularly and request
prompt repair of defective lines
9-13
Material Handling
 Inspect materials
 Get a
firm grip on the object
 Keep fingers away from pinch points
 Keep hands away from the ends of long
objects to prevent pinching hands
 Wipe off greasy, wet, slippery or dirty objects
before trying to handle them
 Keep hands free of oil and grease
9-14
Working with Metals:
Explosion



If any liquid containing
water gets under the
surface of the liquid
metal, the water will turn
to steam, causing the
metal to explode and
spray out of the furnace
When water turns to steam, it rapidly expands to 1500
times its volume
Can be a secondary explosion, more violent than the
9-15
first
Industry Safety
 Incidence rate
for lost work injuries
• In aluminum die casting at 7.8 per 100 workers
• 6.4 per 100 workers in “other non-ferrous die
casting”
 These rates
are almost double those for all
manufacturing sectors at 4.2 incidents per
100 workers
9-16
Summary
 Many
hazards are associated with working in
a die casting plant
 Safety is a defensive attitude, requiring
commitment from top management down
 Personal protective clothing and accessories
helps minimize your risk to certain hazards
 Several places on the DCM can cause injury,
including hot dies, pinch and shear points
9-17
Summary
 Work environment hazards include cords,
hoses, floor clutter, and obstacles
 High pressure air can be hazardous; follow
safety guidelines when using it
 Always follow the safety guidelines when
handling materials
 Liquid metals can explode if any water is
mixed into the melted metal
9-18