Patented Rotational Accident Avoidance System (RAAS): An Innovation in Machine Operator Safety

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Dr. David Rankin (AKA "The Moulder Dr. (TM)" owns the patent to the Rotational Accident Avoidance System (RAAS -- US Patent # 6,662,694), which offers a simple yet innovative solution for ensuring machine operator safety in a manufacturing environment. RAAS can potentially reduce injuries to machine operators, and cut associated costs (hundreds of millions of dollars annually) to the manufacturing industry incurred from worker's comp insurance, legal expenses, as well as losses in productivity.

Troutman, NC, January 20 2010, (PressReleasePoint.com)

There are thousands of injuries each year in manufacturing due to operators, laborers, and other employees reaching their hands and fingers into rotating cutting tools. Dr. David Rankin "The Moulder Dr." and Moulder Services Inc. have developed an innovative product as a possible solution to avoid and perhaps reduce such injuries from tools that can include but are not limited to:

When an accident occurs, a large majority of the injured employees have stated that they did not realize that the tool was moving or had not completely stopped. With the high noise level in many manufacturing facilities, the low light in many work areas and operators being less than observant, accidents are a common hazard. With the patented RAAS concept from MSI, the ability to recognize that the tool is moving becomes much easier. With a normal cutting tool of today, the tool is a single color when it is stopped, as well as when it is in full speed. The eyes do not always recognize the movement, especially in the peripheral line of sight. When RAAS is used on a rotating tool, the tool is two colors when it is stopped, and becomes a single color when operating at full speed. Our recommended colors are red with yellow indicators when stopped, which blend to make an orange tool when cutting.

Photo of Rotational Accident Avoidance System

In some applications, the use of lettering or scribe lines can be used to provide indication of motion. With proper use of RAAS, the potential savings to manufacturing is in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

By using a specific series of processes, we can provide a durable colorization that also reduces the drag of the tool, and reduces build-up of different types of materials.For example, in woodworking, we can provide a variety of different processes that can reduce pitch build-up on the tool. The cost of adding RAAS to a tool is a small fraction of the overall cost of a tool .

According to the United States Department of Labor*, there are over 11,000 non-fatal amputations per year. Fifty-three percent of these occur in manufacturing. This results in a projection of approximately 5,830 cases of serious amputation each year in manufacturing. Ninety-three percent of these amputations are fingers and fingertips. Rotating cutting tools cause a large majority of these accidents. The average cost of nearly $20,000 per injury in workman’s compensation results in about $110 million US per year in claims . When the cost of lost time, paid salaries and inefficient operation of missing or injured employees is totaled, the real cost of these amputations results in well over $250 million US per year in the industry. When you add minor injuries such as cuts requiring stitches, minor crushes of hands, and fingers, the total lost time cost is well over $500 million US. Other expenses that should also be considered are lawsuits from the employees.

*Information from Amputations: A Continuing Workplace Hazard by Jeffrey D Brown, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

RAAS: Rotational Accident Avoidance System
US Patent # 6,662,694 B2 other US and Foreign patents pending. 4/2004

Dr. David Rankin, Owner of Moulder Services Inc., and Master Technician, is an authority on machine operator safety and a renowned expert in the field of industrial metalworking and woodworking. Dr. Rankin AKA "The Moulder Dr." (PhD in Safety Engineering) is available for accident investigation, expert witness testimony and industrial safety consulting. The "Moulder Dr." has also been a contributing editor and writer for woodworking trade publications (and on major web-based forums in the industrial sector since 1986 (pre- and post-Internet publishing).

Through Dr. Rankin's leadership, MSI has over 25 years of experience in the rebuilding and repair of Moulders, Profile Grinders and Tenoners. MSI technicians have been trained by and previously employed with Michael Weinig and Ilda Kogya, and offer only the best-of-class service and support available anywhere in the industry.