Guillotine & Press Brake Inspections in London

What a guillotine and press brake inspection covers

Both machines close a blade or tool with enough force to sever fingers, so the inspection concentrates on keeping hands out of the danger zone:

• Fixed guards: front, side and rear guards, condition and gaps
• Interlocked guards: that the machine cannot cycle with a guard open
• Light curtains and laser guards: function, coverage and safety distance
• Two-hand and foot controls: synchronisation, timing and guarding of foot pedals
• Emergency stops: every stop, and that it stops the machine as it should
• Hold-downs: guillotine hold-down guarding and condition
• Blades and tooling: blade condition and tool clamping
• Back-gauge area: rear access and guarding

Light curtain safety distances and rear access are where these machines most often fail.

How often to inspect

Guillotines and hydraulic press brakes are outside the power press regulations, so there is no fixed statutory interval for them; a mechanical press brake with a flywheel and clutch is a power press, with fixed intervals of its own. For the rest, PUWER 1998 still requires guarding and inspection at intervals set by risk assessment, and after any guard modification, safety-device retrofit or repair that could affect safety. Operators should check light curtains and safety devices each shift.

What you get after the inspection

A written inspection report identifying the machine, what was checked, any defect with how serious it is and what must be done and by when, and when the next inspection should be. On top of that:

• Same-day report: issued digitally on the day of the inspection, not weeks later
• Photographs: of what was inspected and of any defect, in every report as standard
• Records and reminders: we keep the record on file and remind you before the next one falls due

If anything is not safe to use, you are told in writing before we leave. Because we sell no repairs, a defect on the report is never a quotation in disguise.