Safety is Part of our Culture

In any manufacturing or working environments, safety is a key focus. Although sometimes only briefly acknowledged, safety should be a universal priority! Providing a safe working environment and employee training programs are means to preventing serious injuries from occurring at work.

The National Safety Council (NSC) has selected June as its Safety Awareness month. The goal is to save lives at work, home, in the community, and on the roads. Preventing accidents at work is a tall order for most manufacturers, as the workplace can be loaded with unknown dangers. The NSC offers tools and guides to keep employees safe and improve safety performance.

As a leading manufacturer of industrial ovens, Wisconsin Oven is well-informed on safety issues and potential dangers. A great many industries rely on equipment for curing, heat treating, drying, and finishing. The basic requirements of industrial ovens (high temperatures, various fuel sources) make them inherently dangerous. It is our business to build safety features into all of the ovens we produce.

Safety features begin at our own facilities when constructing the ovens. We require all of our employees to wear personal protective gear such as safety glasses, welding shields, gloves, respirators during the painting process, and arc flash suits when working on power panels. Our employees receive monthly safety training on a wide-array of topics, which we feel is needed to perform their jobs safely. Each topic is covered at least once annually. We feel attention to our training program, and our employees understanding the importance of compliance, contributes to an injury rate which is extremely low.

Our designers and engineers have looked closely at the highest risk situations that could occur when an oven is in use. In the equipment itself, we integrate numerous safety features such as high limit instrumentation, safety valves on gas trains, and blowout valves on gas regulators. All of our ovens are equipped with safety latches, E-stops, and guards as appropriate for the equipment supplied. Working to customer requirements, we can modify and add specific safety features if needed, i.e., railings on top of the oven, ladders or stairways, and light curtains.

Many problems arise because users don’t follow the guidelines or limits of the oven’s load. For example, an NFPA 86 Class A oven that is suitable for processing flammable solvents or vapors is designed to handle a maximum amount of solvent that is present at a specific temperature. Overloading the oven with more solvents or vapors than the rated amount creates a dangerous situation and could lead to fire or explosion.

To ensure safe operation of the oven, operators should be fully trained on the operation, safety, and maintenance of the equipment. Guidelines must be adhered to and a preventative maintenance (PM) program is a critical requirement for maintaining the integrity and safety of the equipment. For proper and safe operation of an industrial oven, we recommend:
 

• Institute a PM program to inspect, clean, and repair aging components
• Regularly inspect and clean the burner in a gas-fired model to ensure safety and efficiency
• Leak test gas train components in gas-fired ovens
• Adhere to specific guidelines as required by the authority having jurisdiction

 

With over 40 years of experience in building the safest industrial ovens on the market today, we take safety seriously. The quality equipment we manufacture meets the highest standards of performance and safety. We look forward to working with you on your next oven project.