Posted By Jim Walker
The equipment that makes the machine stop dead in an emergency is called induction braking. Do you need it? Depends on the result of your risk assessment.
The equipment supplier must ensure the machine he delivers to the college complies with the machinery directive and is thus CE marked. However, take my advice and do not rely on this alone, there are some very dodgy interpretations of what is safe. Having said that, ask your supplier to assist with the risk assessment process - if he can't, then the alarms should be ringing with regard to the equipment being acceptable to the directive.
The risk assessment needs to be done by a competent person, I think you have already identified that you don't have that competence by asking for advice. If you obtain sufficient information and actively involve your engineering dept (who should have significant expertise) then you should be able to do a reasonable risk assessment between you.
I suggest you obtain H&S in engineering workshops (HSG 129), which should give you some background, also BS 5304 safeguarding machinery. I had also quoted several other HSE documents, but having checked the catalogue list, I find they no longer exist. I would be very surprised (and worried)if this information is not already available in your colleges engineering dept.
The machine, as a minimum, should have a combination of fixed and interlocking movable guards these should eliminate any possibility of the user coming into contact with the moving parts of the machine, therefore eliminating your emergency scenario occurring. Equally, one might argue that the induction braking system is relatively cheap in comparison with the machine's overall cost, therefore it is reasonably practicable to fit one, anyway.