How to Use Your Paper Cutter Safely

How to use your paper cutter safely:

First recognize that there is machine safety, which requires that all users know how to use the cutter properly, especially if your machine has safety mechanisms already built into it and personal safety, which requires the user to pay attention to prevent injury to themselves or others.

It is important to perform regular maintenance on your paper cutter so that it is in proper working order. Most paper cutter accidents that occur in offices are due to poorly maintained machines. Make sure that emergency stop buttons work and are properly fitted. If you are still shopping for paper cutter, look for extra safety features. The Dahle Safety First Series Guillotine Paper Cutters, for example, have rotary guards that cover the blade throughout the cutting process.

Guillotine paper cutters are extremely dangerous and everyone should be particularly careful when using when using this type of cutter. In 1999 the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) published a booklet specifically discussing guillotine paper cutter safety and created the following directives:

1. Guards must be provided to prevent the operator’s fingers from contacting the knife or clamp from either the front or rear of the machine. Only one person should be allowed to operate the machine at the one time and where long material is being cut and cannot be adequately supported by the worktable, additional supports should be provided.
2. A hand-operated guillotine should be made inoperative when not in use either by removal of the handle or by the use of a locking or similar device.
3. The shear edges of the blades should be maintained in good condition and blade clearance must be adjusted in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendation appropriate to the thickness of the material being cut.
4. Waste scrap metal provides a hazard for the hands and protective gloves should be worn when the metal is handled. A container should be provided for waste material from the guillotine.

Make sure that employees do not take short cuts or try to rush the machine. All movements around your machine should be deliberate and cautious. Educate everyone that is in contact with your paper cutter on how to reduce injury, focus on:

• Lessening loads
• Provide mechanical aids
• Making sure you have a safe and efficient workplace layout
• The correct way to lift and carry supplies

Do not use a cutter if you are distracted, busy, or in a poorly lit room. Some employers have found it safer to put their cutter in a separate room to avoid user distractions. If you have a manual paper cutter make sure the table it is on is flat and stable. A digital machine should be checked to make sure its sensors are working and current.

Make sure to use common sense and follow your paper cutter manufacturers’ instructions and guidelines implicitly and if you have questions call them!