Precast Concrete Industry – Application Series: 4 of 5 Block & Tile Production

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Precast Concrete Industry – Application Series: 4 of 5

Block & Tile Production – Trapped Key Interlock Safety Solutions

Coloring * Molding * Curing * Tumbling * Cubing * Palletising

A production cell for precast concrete block & tile presents many hazards for workers and equipment. Energized equipment, rotating machinery, industrial saws and cutters, pinch points and partial and or full body access points all present opportunity for extremity injuries. Ensuring the proper sequence of safety operations is followed will mitigate the risk of injury.

Extremity injuries are prevalent, accounting for approximately ¾ of all reportable OSHA incidents within this industry

Regular maintenance on the equipment within the production cell is required to ensure efficiencies. Safety processes must be followed to mitigate human error, eliminate risk, prevent injuries to extremities.

Don’t allow superior member injuries and in particular hand injuries to represent 57% of the workplace incidents because any of those which will result in a work stoppage will cost around 23870€!

Trapped key interlock safety solutions ensure a pre-determined sequence of operations each & every time. While LOTO provides a visual warning and identifies hazards, a TKI solution physically prevents a specific set of actions from being performed until previous action(s) have been fully completed!

Common trapped key interlock solution for a block/tile production cell:


Step 1: Circuit control isolation STI RTK*E switch installed on control panel for block/tile production cell

Step 2: Residual Energy STI ERTK unit pre-set to allow for rundown time on equipment

Step 3: Multiple Entry Points STI NX for sequence control of access keys only after power isolation has occurred

Step 4: Safe Access XSOL installed on main production cell gate & guarding gates

Download the pdf version of this fourth part of our Precast Concrete Application Series focusing on how trapped key interlocking solutions can help mitigate human error, eliminate risks and prevent injuries within a block & tile production cell.