Educational guidance on how workplace induction and safety instruction generally work — connected to workplace safety, occupations, industries, employment documents and company types. Informational only — not certified training, not an official qualification and not a substitute for mandatory workplace instruction; employers remain responsible for required training, competence and authorisation.
What this instruction covers
Power press safety instruction explains, in general terms, the crushing hazard of presses, the safeguards used, the rules around feeding and the strict roles of setting and inspection.
This page is an educational outline only. It does not replace the manufacturer’s instructions, the employer’s risk assessment, machine-specific instruction or the formal training, appointment and statutory inspection power presses require.
The hazards
- Crushing and amputation at the tooling and point of operation.
- Trapping during feeding, removing or adjusting the work.
- Failure of a safeguard or device allowing access during the stroke.
- Ejected components, scrap and tooling.
- Repetitive feeding tasks and the temptation to take shortcuts.
Who needs this instruction
- Press operators who feed and run the machine.
- Tool setters who set and try out tools (formal training and appointment required).
- Competent persons who inspect and test safeguards (specific qualification required).
- Supervisors who manage press operations and authorisation.
The safe system of work
- Operate only with the safeguards and devices set and working.
- Feed and remove work using the methods and tools provided — never the hands in the tooling.
- Do not reach into the point of operation at any time.
- Stop and isolate before clearing jams, adjusting or cleaning.
- Use safe feeding aids and tools rather than hands wherever required.
Guarding, safeguards & devices
- Fixed and interlocked guards, light curtains and trip devices protect the operator.
- Two-hand controls keep the operator’s hands away during the stroke.
- Safeguards must never be removed, defeated or bypassed.
- A press whose safeguard is faulty must be stopped and reported at once.
Required PPE
- Eye protection against ejected scrap and components.
- Hearing protection where noise levels require it.
- Close-fitting clothing and tied-back hair near the press.
- PPE supports the safeguards but never replaces them.
Pre-use checks
- Confirm guards, light curtains, trips and two-hand controls work as intended.
- Check the press has the required safeguard checks for the shift in place.
- Make sure feeding aids and tools are available and the area is clear.
- Do not run a press whose safeguards are faulty, untested or out of date.
Isolation, setting & inspection
- Isolate and lock off before clearing jams, setting or maintenance.
- Setting tools is a controlled task for trained, appointed setters only.
- Safeguards are inspected and tested by a competent person at set intervals.
- Restore and re-check safeguards before returning the press to production.
What the worker is and is not authorised to do
- Operate a press only if instructed and authorised for it.
- Do not set, try out or adjust tools unless a trained, appointed setter.
- Do not inspect or test safeguards unless an appointed competent person.
- Do not defeat or bypass any guard or safety device.
What to do if something is wrong
- Stop and isolate the press if a safeguard fails or the cycle is abnormal.
- Report faulty guards, devices and any failure to operate correctly.
- Take the press out of use and label it until it is checked.
- Report any injury, trap or near miss immediately.
Training & competence
Reading this page does not make a worker competent or authorised. Power presses are subject to particularly strict controls because of the crushing risk.
Operating, and especially setting, power presses requires formal training and the employer’s appointment, and safeguards must be inspected and tested by a competent person with specific qualifications at statutory intervals. This page provides no training, qualification or appointment.
Documentation
- A record of the press instruction and any formal training.
- Appointment records for setters and competent persons.
- Statutory safeguard inspection, test and thorough examination records.
- These can be shared as PDFs; a record documents instruction, not competence.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Reaching into the tooling instead of using feeding aids.
- Running a press with a defeated, faulty or untested safeguard.
- Letting an untrained, unappointed person set or adjust tools.
- Skipping the required safeguard checks before running.
Who is responsible
The employer is responsible for safe presses and safeguards, the formal training, appointment of setters and competent persons, statutory inspection and testing, assessing competence, authorising operators and keeping records. This guide is an educational outline to support that work.
It does not deliver training, certify, appoint or authorise anyone, satisfy any legal requirement or transfer the employer’s responsibility for power press safety and supervision.
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