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chris42  
#1 Posted : 03 January 2018 17:38:53(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
chris42

I know it is bad for us to watch TV as it is easy to become concerned about things we see; however, did anyone watch the program about a factory making fish fingers last night (bbc2 I think)?

I changed channels and watch a few minutes where an operative was cutting a frozen block of fish into fingers on what looked like a band saw ( it possibly was not). This thing seemed to cut through the frozen fish slab very easily and the man was pushing the fish through with his hands only protected by what looked like thin blue nitrile gloves. He commented he needed to concentrate.

Anyone know if this machine was special in some way as I could not see why it would not remove his fingers in an instant? bugging me now as this looked highly dangerous especially as he trimmed the last mm off, made me squirm in my seat at the thought.

If it was wood and a band saw you would have a push stick at least.

 Chris

Roundtuit  
#2 Posted : 04 January 2018 09:27:10(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Roundtuit

Watched "Inside the factory" on catch up as your post grabbed my attention

A bank of commercial band-saws in use but the gloves were a heavier duty than the standard disposable blue nitriles (looked like a dip coated woven)

Not possible to see the saw teeth but as you noted the blade was fully (and possibly unecessarily) exposed for the work being cut

In the wider context of the factory the use of manual band saws to cut the fish-fingers seemed out of place given all the automatic plant cutting "bricks", then "planks" from standard shipping blocks of frozen fish followed by automatic dipping, coating, frying, fast-freeze

That said the product being followed was a "gourmet" range not heading to budget/main-stream super market

Roundtuit  
#3 Posted : 04 January 2018 09:27:10(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Roundtuit

Watched "Inside the factory" on catch up as your post grabbed my attention

A bank of commercial band-saws in use but the gloves were a heavier duty than the standard disposable blue nitriles (looked like a dip coated woven)

Not possible to see the saw teeth but as you noted the blade was fully (and possibly unecessarily) exposed for the work being cut

In the wider context of the factory the use of manual band saws to cut the fish-fingers seemed out of place given all the automatic plant cutting "bricks", then "planks" from standard shipping blocks of frozen fish followed by automatic dipping, coating, frying, fast-freeze

That said the product being followed was a "gourmet" range not heading to budget/main-stream super market

WatsonD  
#4 Posted : 04 January 2018 11:08:46(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
WatsonD

Who needs gloves:

David68  
#5 Posted : 04 January 2018 12:15:45(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
David68

WOW, that was incredible.  There is no way on earth I would press to test that! 

Hsquared14  
#6 Posted : 04 January 2018 13:17:37(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Hsquared14

Use of bandsaws is very common in the food industry and very often safeguarding is not as good as it should be often due to "hygiene" concerns from use of guards.  However, I have watched all the series of these programmes and it would appear that is many cases the safeguards are removed from the machines so that the action of the machine can be filmed.  For example in last week's episode in a tinsel making factory you could clearly see that the interlocked guard had been removed and the interlock bypassed to give the camera access to the inside of the machine to see how the tinesel is made.  I don't particularly have a problem with them doing that but I think they should explain that this has been done so that they can show us how things work.

thanks 1 user thanked Hsquared14 for this useful post.
hilary on 08/01/2018(UTC)
chris42  
#7 Posted : 04 January 2018 13:41:10(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
chris42

 #3  mmmm where to start, think I will go with the obvious. I tend not to have wet fingers when doing any woodworking. I tend not to dip my fingers in a bowl of water before using electrical equipment. If I was able to remember to dip my fingers in water before use, I would remember to use a push stick. I would have a guard on the top of the blade.

Fair due to the inventor putting his own finger into the saw blade ( though even he said he was not keen – can you imagine the first time doing it). It didn’t note how you get the nuts and bolts etc out of your groin area after the thing self-destructs.

Roundtuit, yes a bandsaw normally has guide rollers and back stop for the blade which you adjust to just above the height of the item you are cutting, not 10 inches above it. At a glance the gloves looked like those thin disposable type, but either way not sure they would stop that blade. I was squirming around in my seat by that point and although I figured that the BBC would probably not show someone getting their fingers cut off, my head was working overtime. Agree the rest of it was automated wonder why not this bit. Can’t see how you would sign that process off as safe and there was a number of these stations by the look of it.

I was hoping there was someone in the food industry that would say there was some fancy gismo or law of physics that somehow would prevent an accident.

Fair points Hsquared14, but how often in H&S do we say go on then just this once ? this did look like it was always a manual process.

Not sure I would want to eat fish fingers anymore, that picture would come to mind each time

Hsquared14  
#8 Posted : 04 January 2018 15:05:47(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Hsquared14

Chris I know what you mean - where exactly do those fingers come from?

Just to make you feel better I once opened a tin of Arthur's cat food to find a finger from a yellow Marigold glove in it - complete with its original occupant!!  My cats dined well for several months on the treats and extras sent courtesy of Arthur for letting them know what I found!!

WatsonD  
#9 Posted : 05 January 2018 09:37:52(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
WatsonD

Originally Posted by: chris42 Go to Quoted Post

 #3  mmmm where to start, think I will go with the obvious. I tend not to have wet fingers when doing any woodworking. I tend not to dip my fingers in a bowl of water before using electrical equipment. If I was able to remember to dip my fingers in water before use, I would remember to use a push stick. I would have a guard on the top of the blade.

Fair due to the inventor putting his own finger into the saw blade ( though even he said he was not keen – can you imagine the first time doing it). It didn’t note how you get the nuts and bolts etc out of your groin area after the thing self-destructs.

Chris, it was intended to be tongue-in-cheek - I would not trust that machine with my fingers, no matter how many times I watched that clip.

thanks 1 user thanked WatsonD for this useful post.
chris42 on 05/01/2018(UTC)
chris42  
#10 Posted : 05 January 2018 10:52:56(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
chris42

Hsquared14 - I would have thought the original owner of the finger would have noticed it was no longer there and the company would have looked for it until found. I would at least like to be able to give the hospital the option of possibly re attaching it (even if there was little hope). Obviously not in that case. In this day and age, a company would probably charge the person for damaging their PPE.

You really don’t want cats getting a taste for human.

WatsonD – agree there, no chance of me wanting to do that or make gourmet fish fingers

Generally

Sorry, but I don’t think the food industry should be able to get away with process that can so obviously cause so much harm. You would not get away with unguarded equipment like that in other industries. I know some people struggle to buy food, but it should cost what it costs. I would rather pay a little more and have the minimum wage earners safeguarded.

Hsquared14  
#11 Posted : 05 January 2018 13:09:57(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Hsquared14

I failed to say that the finger in the tin incident happened in the early 1980's things were a bit different back then!!  Knowing how tinned cat food is manufactured there would be very little opportunity to find it or remove it before it ended up in a tin!!!

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