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Many industries have their own specific hazards and applicable regulations. The baking industry is one. Because of the unique hazards that are involved, OSHA has a regulation governing the equipment used, found at 29 CFR 1910.263.
Other standards that are involved include American National Standards Institute's (ANSI) A50.1-1947, Safety Code for Bakery Equipment as a National Consensus Standard and the National Fire Protection Association's (NFPA) Standard for Ovens and Furnaces 86, Ovens and Furnaces. If there are kettles with steam jackets, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Pressure Vessel Code, Section VIII, Unfired Pressure Vessels, 1968, is also involved. If production includes spice grinding, NFPA 62-1967 Standard for Dust Hazards of Sugar and Cocoa, and NFPA 656 Standard for Dust Hazards in Spice Grinding Plants are involved.
Hazards and protection
Bakery equipment needs to be designed with the safety of the operator in mind. The potential exists for a variety of risks such as getting hands caught in hoppers, beaters, or rolls, or getting feet caught under the casters of hand trucks.
To reduce the risk of these hazards, machine guards play an important role. These are designed to cover gears, blades, rollers, mixers, and other moving parts. Other pieces of equipment need to be deenergized when employees are exposed to hazardous machinery parts. Some of these are automatic, and many have controls. For example, when the cover of the knife head of a reciprocating blade slicer is not in place, the machine will not operate.
Bakeries require grains and grain handling. This means that the air can easily be contaminated with dust from the flour and other grains. Ventilation is required to help clear the air of this contamination. Other vapors that require ventilation include those from the frying section of doughnut machines.
The dusts involved in the processes in bakeries also can contribute to walking-working surfaces hazards. Housekeeping steps are required to maintain a safe and clean workplace.
One of the most important pieces of equipment in bakeries is the oven. There are different types of ovens and each type requires its own safety precautions. Included with many of these ovens are their sources of heat, which can involve piping. Piping needs to be insulated and identified.
Where there’s heat, there’s fire. Ovens also expose employees to hot environment and the risks of fire and explosion. To protect employees, ovens must not be located near employee rest areas such as lunch, locker, or break rooms; or near exits. Employees have to be trained and prepared to react in an emergency situation, should one occur.
Ergonomics may also be worthy of consideration in a baking facility. There may be many repetitions required to carry out the needed tasks, and employees may be at risk for a variety of musculoskeletal disorders. Dump bins, in particular have to be at a proper height from the floor so employees can easily dump flour without undue strain or fatigue.
Inspections
To keep operations safe, certain pieces of equipment need to be checked or inspected on a regular basis. Oven safety devices need to be inspected at least two times per month by an appropriate employee and at least once a year by representatives of the oven manufacturers. Emergency stop bars on manually fed dough brakes need to be checked to ensure proper operation every 30 days.