General UK machinery-safety planning
A safe sachet line depends on the actual machine, product, site, operators, cleaning tasks and connected equipment. Supplier documentation and guards are inputs to—not substitutes for—the user’s competent risk assessment and safe system of work.
Direct answer
PUWER places duties on people and businesses that own, operate or control work equipment. The user must ensure the sachet machine is suitable for its intended use, maintained in an efficient state, inspected where necessary and used by people with appropriate information, instruction and training.
This page is general engineering guidance, not a substitute for a competent site-specific assessment or legal advice.
Product vessels, feeders, pumps, conveyors, coders, inspection devices, reject systems, discharge equipment and secondary packing can create new reach, trapping, pressure, electrical, thermal or control hazards at their interfaces.
Define which party designs, supplies, guards, validates and documents each interface before installation.
Assess the machine against product hazards, dust or vapour, temperature, cleaning chemicals, operator exposure, foreseeable misuse, format changes and maintenance tasks. A general product label such as “powder” or “liquid” is not enough to demonstrate suitability.
Where a dangerous substance may create fire or explosion risk, the separate DSEAR assessment must be considered before selecting equipment or extraction.
Identify film pulls, belts, gears, augers, pump drives, sealing jaws, cutters, heated surfaces and downstream transfer points. Guards and protective devices must address normal operation, loading, clearing, cleaning, adjustment and maintenance—not only steady automatic running.
Interlocks, emergency stops and control functions should be tested as part of the agreed acceptance schedule. An emergency stop does not replace adequate guarding or safe isolation.
List all electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic, thermal, gravitational and product-pressure energy sources. Provide a defined method to isolate, lock off, prove the safe state and release stored energy before access. The procedure must cover connected equipment where one machine can move or energise another.
Routine cleaning and changeover should not depend on improvised access or bypassed protective devices.
Document start permission, stop categories, emergency-stop zones, upstream and downstream permissives, restart behaviour, fault reset, reject response and safe state after power or air loss. Operators need a clear indication of why the line stopped and what must be checked before restart.
Changes to software, sensors, guarding or connected machinery should be controlled and assessed rather than treated as an informal production adjustment.
| Evidence | What to verify |
|---|---|
| Machine documentation | Identification, manuals, drawings, declarations and instructions applicable to the approved configuration |
| Guarding | Access prevention, interlocks, stopping response, reset and foreseeable clearing/cleaning tasks |
| Isolation | All energy sources, lock-off points, stored-energy release and verification of a safe state |
| Controls | Start, stop, emergency, fault, restart, power-loss and line-interface behaviour |
| Site installation | Secure positioning, access, lighting, floor condition, utilities, drainage and safe materials handling |
| People and procedures | Training, authorised tasks, cleaning, maintenance, inspection, defect reporting and change control |
Use current Health and Safety Executive guidance for PUWER and work equipment and machinery. The duty holder should obtain competent advice for the specific installation, product and work activities.
Buyer questions
No. Product documentation does not replace correct installation, suitability assessment, safe operating methods, training, inspection and maintenance in the actual workplace.
No. Emergency stopping is one protective function. The design must first prevent or control access to dangerous movement and provide safe isolation and operating methods.
Yes. Cleaning, clearing blockages, reel changes, product refill, adjustment and maintenance can expose hazards that are not present during closed automatic running.
Responsibilities depend on the supply and integration arrangement. Define them in writing, assess the complete installed line and ensure interface risks are not left between suppliers.
Assess changes to guarding, controls, software, product, process, speed, cleaning method or connected machinery before routine use.
Define the complete machine and line boundary
Send the product, site, utilities, connected equipment, operating tasks and any existing safety requirements so the supply boundary can be reviewed before quotation.