Starting with the automobile industry, Japan has led the world in manufacturing. However, there are issues with safety management at manufacturing sites, and there are many cases where sufficient safety is not ensured. Unless we raise the level of on-site safety management to a high level, we will not be able to reduce fatal accidents and other serious accidents.
Here, we will introduce the current state of safety management in Japan and the "double valve with monitor" as an example of raising the standards of safety management.
Safety management awareness in Japan has changed
Japan's awareness of safety management is said to be lagging behind that of the developed countries of the world, but the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake triggered a change.
Prior to the Great East Japan Earthquake, the safety standard in Japan was that workers should not make mistakes and that machines should not malfunction. However, this presupposes that all mistakes, failures, accidents, and disasters fall within the “anticipated” range, making it extremely difficult to ensure safety when an “unexpected” event occurs. After the Great East Japan Earthquake, the words “within expectations” and “outside expectations” made headlines in the news, and many people are probably left with a strong impression.
Having experienced a catastrophe that caused enormous damage, I took it one step further and spread the idea of "what should be done to ensure safety even when there is a worker's mistake or a machine failure?" Conducting such risk assessments will help prevent serious accidents at manufacturing sites.
Comparison of safety management in the US/Europe and Japan
Although Japan's safety management is changing as described above, it is said that Japan still lags behind that of the United States and Europe, and that there is a gap of several decades between the two.
An easy-to-understand example is the difference between the clutch/brake control valves installed in presses. Valves involved in the operation and shutdown of press equipment are very important parts and one of the focal points in safety management. Double valves are superior to single valves for increased valve safety, and having a monitor that automatically detects failures further increases safety. In the United States and Europe, it is obligatory to install a double valve monitor, but in Japan, it is not a mandatory item, and many valves are operated without a monitor.
In addition, the presence or absence of a "residual pressure release valve" that releases the air pressure in the machine can be mentioned. When performing machine maintenance, in the United States and Europe, it is obligatory to "exhaust residual pressure" to release the air pressure inside the machine, but in Japan, it is not an essential process, so there are cases where the power is simply turned off. If maintenance is performed with air pressure remaining, an unexpected accident may occur if air leaks due to unforeseen circumstances.
As you can see from these examples, Japan's safety management is inadequate to prevent serious accidents. In this respect, safety is often ensured by following the standards of the United States and Europe, and it is important to first raise them to those standards.
"Double valve with monitor" guarantees high safety
We will introduce how the above-mentioned double valve with monitor can prevent serious accidents.
A monitor attached to the double valve has the ability to sense failures and prevent restarts. If the press continues to operate with a malfunction, an accident may occur, but the monitor can prevent accidents by shutting off the electrical and pneumatic circuits inside the double valve. When the double valve fails, air leaks from the exhaust port, so it is possible to prevent accidents through careful observation by workers. From these characteristics, it can be said that the double valve with monitor can ensure a high level of safety.
In any factory, safety should be managed by introducing various systems and disciplines. However, it is important to reconsider whether the safety management really ensures sufficient safety and to conduct a risk assessment. At Los Asia, we have a wide range of world-class products, so if you have any concerns about safety, please feel free to contact us.