When asssigned to write a formal report I English 305T-Technical Writing during the Fall Semester 1999 I decided to research and write about light curtains. The reason is to explain why to use light curtains instead of the older forms of guarding. This report recommends that light curtains will keep all of the employees that work around them safe. I am basing this audience on other Safety Managers that may have troubles guarding older and some newer machines.
             I have been a Safety Management student for 3 years and I feel that the classes that I have taken give me a background for the use of light curtains. The main point that I feel needs to be addressed is the safety of the workers in a facility and that light curtains protect without incident. I have received some advice for this report from a professor but the other contents have been received by research.
             Throughout my work on this report I have done research mainly through the computer via., ProQuest and the internet. I also did some research in the library but was unable to find many selections. Nearly all of my information has come from ProQuest. It was the most useful tool in devising this report. There was also a plant in northern Vigo County. It is Alcoa although I have never been to the plant a professor told me that they are using a light curtain to guard a metal press.
             There are a lot of manufacturing machines that need to be properly guarded. According to the book Accident Facts there were approximately 8,000 injuries last year caused by faulty guarding. These guards are made out of metal, plastic, or sheetmetal, and would generally get in the way or get jammed in the machine. Once the guard would get jammed the machine needed to be shut down and the jam pulled out. Unfortunately this was the prime time for an accident, either the worker would be hurt pulling the jam out or by the machine moving once it was pulled out. Either way the companie...