Need your participation! Precious Plastic Safety

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Hi! I’ve known precious plastic for around 6 months and love this whole grand idea of massive community movement in plastic recycling. I’m studying Occupational Health and Safety, I wish to contribute to the community so that we all can work safely and confidently with plastics. I believe that the practice of the Precious Plastic process can be less harmful to the worker’s health and safety if we know on which part we must improve.

Before going serious with specific hazard like toxic in the plastic, I would like to give an initial survey about preventing plastic recycling accident in general. Everyone can participate. In fact, the more, the merrier! Meaning: the result will be able to represent us as a big global community.

The survey will take around 5-8 minutes, you can fill out based on your own perception and experience in Precious Plastic recycling process (There will be no right or wrong!). You can find the survey here:  http://bit.ly/survey_preciousplasticsafety

Thank you so much! I’ll update to you again. If you have questions, suggestions, or wish to collaborate, feel free to message or mail me vinska.andrias@gmail.com 😀 Hope you have a nice day.

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@vnstania, thanks for your efforts, very much appreciated.

let me add a few cents to your research. first things first:

Please acknowledge and keep in mind that this machines were initially rather intended for folks who know what they are doing. it wasn’t really foreseen that soo many average persons get this stuff in their hands nor that 95% of all machine builders in the bazar make 1:1 copies with no major improvements or obvious things to change. The other 5% do indeed add safety measures when and wherever necessary.

To make it short: no this machines are not safe, not add all. If you would buy even a good one from the Bazaar the following can happen :

– sudden water flood can cause death by electricity

– accidentally falling against the machine could kill your by slicing your neck or whatever important parts, this can happen especially with teens around who turn the class room into football field. it’s not just kids, it could be drunk trainer as well.

– for whatever reason most machines can fall on you easily since the mass center is quite high. there are floor mounts in the design but they are rarely applicable

– things go also pretty bad if you add fire to the equation. many machine builders still use wood or plastic for the electrical enclosure so if it’s not the fire which can kill you, it could be the water of the fire guards connecting you to the open electronics. building this things IP23 grade is beyond budget and I just can hope they switch to full metal enclosures. A little earth quake and your are dead easily, by PP.

– shredder / compression, it easy to imagine all sorts of accidents if that machines are not made for stress, properly welded, or someone added a stronger motor, not tested or made for the frame. this stuff could brake apart so badly that you could be hit by fragments of the frame or, couplings etc… loosing your eye and what not

– often there are no emergency switches in range added, that means under some very stupid circumstance a nice ladie’s hair could get windup around the open couplings of the extrusion or shredder and break her neck. that happened recently at MIT to a lady at a lathe.

Now that was just about mechanics as well the elements like water, fire. Addressing these issues becomes expensive, getting quickly out of range for the average users here.

I am good faith whoever places this crazy machines near teens or drunk people will usually have some training in safety, fingercross. Would be interesting to know if someone got killed or damaged by PP machines though.

And yes, please publish the results!

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I’ve filled your survey vnstania😊
Its so true that afterall our good efforts to save environment impact, there’s always dangerous and hazard source or action at some project.
As environmental engineer i really really agree with your effort @vnstania. Hope you can find the best way to solve one of this project problems.

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Hi Vinska,

I am also writing my masters’ thesis on Precious Plastic, on the feasibility of set up at a university and potentially integrating the machines into the engineering curriculum. I major concern I have found in my research is the safety of the machines, and would be really interested to see your results!

Your comment is very helpful for my work @pporg, thank you!
I have filled in your survey @vnstania and hope it helps!

5

@vnstania, thanks for your efforts, very much appreciated.

let me add a few cents to your research. first things first:

Please acknowledge and keep in mind that this machines were initially rather intended for folks who know what they are doing. it wasn’t really foreseen that soo many average persons get this stuff in their hands nor that 95% of all machine builders in the bazar make 1:1 copies with no major improvements or obvious things to change. The other 5% do indeed add safety measures when and wherever necessary.

To make it short: no this machines are not safe, not add all. If you would buy even a good one from the Bazaar the following can happen :

– sudden water flood can cause death by electricity

– accidentally falling against the machine could kill your by slicing your neck or whatever important parts, this can happen especially with teens around who turn the class room into football field. it’s not just kids, it could be even a trainer as well falling over something.

– for whatever reason most machines can fall on you easily since the mass center is quite high. there are floor mounts in the design but they are rarely applicable

– things go also pretty bad if you add fire to the equation. many machine builders still use wood or plastic for the electrical enclosure so if it’s not the fire which can kill you, it could be the water of the fire guards connecting you to the open electronics. building this things IP23 grade is beyond budget and I just can hope they switch to full metal enclosures. A little earth quake and your are dead easily, by PP.

– shredder / compression, it easy to imagine all sorts of accidents if that machines are not made for stress, properly welded, or someone added a stronger motor, not tested or made for the frame. this stuff could brake apart so badly that you could be hit by fragments of the frame or, couplings etc… loosing your eye and what not

– often there are no emergency switches in range added, that means under some very stupid circumstance a nice ladie’s hair could get windup around the open couplings of the extrusion or shredder and break her neck. that happened recently at MIT to a lady at a lathe.

Now that was just about mechanics as well the elements like water, fire. Addressing these issues becomes expensive, getting quickly out of range for the average users here.

I am good faith whoever places this crazy machines near teens or drunk people will usually have some training in safety. Would be interesting to know if someone got killed or damaged by PP machines though.

And yes, please publish the results !