Clear the jam

Machines may jam at some point - getting a piece of material in the wrong position, it will stick and stick hard.

You've each been told what to do when that happens on your own machine - what steps to take, what equipment to use, who to ask for help if you need it. You've also been told what not to try to do - what to leave to specialists, what safeguards to leave in place, and so on.

The things you've been told to do have been figured out by smart guys. But the guys who study these problems have found out that if you try to do the things you're told not to do, you're just asking for trouble.

For instance, on some kinds of punch presses, operators are supplied with special soft metal rods or "picks" to free jams. These picks are usually made of aluminum or brass and will simply flatten out if accidentally caught between the dies. If the operator uses the pick according to instructions, he isn't going to get hurt. It can be pushed under or through the guard, and the hands are still safely on the right side of the guard.

But suppose that doesn't clear the jam. Suppose the operator decides he can clear it with, say, a pair of pliers or a screwdriver. To get at the jam, he lifts up the guard he's been told to keep in place. Maybe he does free the jam, but what happens if the press operates at this point? The punch conies down on the screwdriver, which is made of hardened steel; one, or both of the dies shatter, and steel fragments fly out in all directions. There is little chance of an operator escaping injury when this happens.

Some of you may be asking yourselves, "What if we try to clear a jam the way you've told us to, and that doesn't work. We've still got a jammed machine. What do we do then?"

The answer to that is simple and safe - if the way we've taught you to clear a jam on your machine doesn't clear the jam then get help. Get it from the supervisor or mechanic or maintenance man who is trained and authorized to handle that kind of problem.

The point is just this - the moment you go beyond your instructions, you are in danger. We know that the method we give you may not clear every jam. We expect that. But we'd a lot rather have the expert take it from there than have you experiment around and take chances that can cost you a serious accident.

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