Safety when slicing

Interview with Ralf Steinhilber (Director of Food Processing)

The prevention of accidents is an essential part of the successful running of a company. The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work has established that injury through cutting oneself in professional kitchens and in retail is the type of accident that occurs most frequently. Employers are legally obliged to ensure safety in the workplace. In this expert interview, Ralf Steinhilber, Director of Food Processing, explains what Bizerba is doing to help.

Frank Schmidtbauer (freelance journalist): Mr Steinhilber, employers are legally obliged to ensure safety in the workplace. What is Bizerba doing to help them?

Ralf Steinhilber: Employees cut and injure themselves when operating or cleaning devices. The demand we place on our slicers is that there should be no chance of the user injuring himself through carelessness. We distinguish between three machine states that pose very specific challenges in terms of design: stand-by mode, slicing mode and cleaning mode.

Frank Schmidtbauer: So the designers have ensured that the machine doesn't pose a risk of injury even when on stand-by?

Ralf Steinhilber: Exactly. What we firstly have to mention here is the blade protection ring, which protects the part of the blade that doesn't slice. It is a single part that is fixed in place and cannot be removed. If the stop plate is also in the safety position, the slice thickness setting is negative and the blade is completely covered, so it has more or less disappeared. This means that there is no chance of injury whatsoever, not even when you move or transport the machine.
The next point is the grinder. Many of our competitors use a fixed sharpening attachment. If you remove it for cleaning, the blade is unprotected at this part and represents a risk of injury. We use a separate attachment. As soon as you remove it, you can put the stop plate straight back into the safety position. An obvious safety advantage.
Frank Schmidtbauer: The slicing mode is naturally more dangerous. What safety precautions have you taken?

Ralf Steinhilber: Naturally, we provide an end cut pusher plate which works well for even the smallest product ends, meaning that employees don't even think of feeding the piece to be sliced in by hand. The pusher sits steadily in the carriage and fixes the object to be sliced in place. This means that the employee doesn't need to move anything by hand during slicing. The back wall of the carriage is also higher so that you can't touch the blade by accident. Thus, the hands are protected throughout the entire slicing process. The off switch is also easily accessible in an emergency.

Frank Schmidtbauer: That leaves the cleaning mode. What challenges did the designers have to overcome here?

Ralf Steinhilber: When cleaning it is important to fold back the carriage plate. However, this only works when you have already put the stop plate into the safety position. This is one of the machine's mechanical rules which cannot be outsmarted. In this position, the blade is also completely covered. This means you can start removing the components without ever coming into contact with the blade's slicing surface.
The fact that we use a separate sharpening attachment that is not fixed in place is an additional hygiene advantage and sets us clearly apart from the competition. Here it is clear that hygiene and safety often go hand in hand. Generally speaking, the machine mustn't be a mystery to the user. All functions must be intuitive."

Frank Schmidtbauer: Mr Steinhilber, thank you for doing this interview.

About Bizerba:

Since 1866, Bizerba has been leading technological progress in weighing, labeling, information and food service systems. We are creating the future. Bizerba offers all its solutions from a single source: hardware and software, consulting, financing and services. We are active around the globe and present wherever you need us.

As market and technology leaders, we provide state-of-the-art, comprehensive solutions. Retail scales with multimedia databases, cash-point solutions and checkout scales, materials and store management systems, slicing and meat processing machines, labels and consumables, software-supported control scales, foreign body detectors, labeling systems as well as industry software for data flow – from goods receiving through to shipping. Bizerba’s consistently high quality is the result of systematic Global Quality Management. We are always a step ahead and with clear targets in the foreground, so that our customers can capitalize on the best available solutions today. Bizerba quality stands for technological leadership.

Bizerba is represented in over 120 countries around the world – with 41 partnership holdings in 23 countries and 54 representative offices. Company headquarters are located in Balingen, Germany, where we employ a staff of close to 3,000. Further production facilities are located in Messkirch and Bochum (Germany), Vienna (Austria), Mendrisio (Switzerland), Milan (Italy), Shanghai (China), Forest Hill (USA) and San Luis Potosi (Mexico).

If you have any questions, please contact:
Bizerba GmbH & Co. KG
Andreas Wegeleben
Director Marketing & Communication
PO Box 10 01 64, 72301 Balingen
Telephone: +49 7433 12-3300
Fax: +49 7433 12-53300
E-mail: andreas.wegeleben@bizerba.com

This release was published on openPR.