This European standard applies to automatic back splitting machines and specifies safety and health requirements for machines used in slaughterhouses in order to fully automatically split meat animal (beef and pork) along the back-bone axis, splitting the carcass into two parts (see Figure 1).
This document deals with all significant hazards, hazardous situations and events relevant to automatic back splitting machines, when they are used as intended and under conditions of misuse which are reasonably foreseeable by the manufacturer (see Clause 4).
This document deals with the significant hazards, hazardous situations and events during transport, assembly and installation, commissioning and use as defined in EN ISO 12100-1, Clause 5.3.
This document is not applicable to automatic back splitting machines, which are manufactured before the date of its publication as EN.
The machines concerned by this standard are those used in slaughterhouses. They are fitted with a cutting device and are driven by electric, hydraulic and/or pneumatic energy.
The utilized cutting tools are:
- circular saws,
- splitting tools.
Three types of machines are considered (see Figures 1 to 5):
- Splitting machines for pork carcasses, type A (splitter),
- Splitting machines for pork carcasses, type B (circular saw),
- Splitting machines for beef carcasses, type C (circular saw).
There are two different operation cycles:
- carcasses can be splitted when they are at standstill.(In general they are hanging on a sequence conveyed transport system.);
- carcasses can also be splitted during their continuous movement by conveyor. In this case the movement of the tool is synchronized with that of the carcass.
When the split is finished, the cutting tool returns automatically to its initial position.
The machines run automatically. Under normal operating conditions there is no manual intervention.