8mm Forum: Health & Safety standards of a bygone era..Not!!

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Topic: Health & Safety standards of a bygone era..Not!!

Andrew Woodcock
Film God

Posts: 7477
From: Manchester Uk
Registered: Aug 2012

posted June 13, 2014 05:13 AM

Having just changed the lamp holder out on my Beaulieu yesterday for a brand new one from Wittners, I was just thinking to myself that in today's world, I doubt a machine such as this could even get through the EU Safety Regulations nowadays.

The shutter is variable eg 2/3 bladed, is completely exposed in the lamphouse in order to be able to adjust, carries no warning tag and is driven by an extremely powerful motor capable of driving and rewinding the 700m reels!

There is no doubt in my mind that the blade would definately chop the end of your finger off before the motor would stall if anyone was daft enough to place a finger near it and in today's world everything has to be guarded to "engineer out" any potential danger.Ah well just as well it was manufactured when it was as I doubt we could have such machines nowadays without a load of ridiculous interlocks on the lamphouse!

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"C'mon Baggy..Get with the beat"

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Paul Mason
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 540
From: Aldershot, Hampshire, UK
Registered: Nov 2013

posted June 13, 2014 05:50 AM

Service and test engineers have always had to take risks with equipment, exposed live parts and so on but there's nothing wrong with simple design changes and guarding where these don't make it impossible to service a machine. Where there is a risk that has to be accepted that's fine if someone has made a sensible assessment first. There's no doubt that old machines vary as how safe they are. The older Eiki 16mm projectors allow easy access to to the rear by unclipping the back and swinging open without disconnecting the supply. Convenient yes but better to have a socket to unplug the mains lead first like most other modern projectors.

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Paul.

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted June 13, 2014 05:51 AM

What's even worse are all the older metal-bodied machines running around with a two wire mains lead. The later three wire ones will pop the fuse if a live conductor contacts the chassis.

-the two wire ones just wind up making the operator part of the circuit. It can be deadly if they are also touching something that is grounded.

I work in a place that is very very safety critical (high energy physics laboratory). It's very hard to come home and operate something like this without wanting rubber gloves and safety glasses!

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Andrew Woodcock
Film God

Posts: 7477
From: Manchester Uk
Registered: Aug 2012

posted June 13, 2014 06:04 AM

Yeah I don't think I would be at all comfortable operating a steel chassis machine without an earth cable running through it, that's for sure! Electrically I think all of my machines are pretty much up to modern day standards including protection etc, it is just mechanically where I feel there would be difficulties introducing them nowadays. Lets face it, even a 700m reel at full pelt is going to do quite some damage if a child went to touch it out of curiosity.

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"C'mon Baggy..Get with the beat"

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