Band Knife and Lay Cutting Safety in the Cutting Room

Why should cutting room safety be addressed separately?

Outerwear manufacturing (14.21.01) is in the less hazardous class in the hazard class list. This classification describes the workshop as a whole, not the risk of the cutting room. While the main injury in the sewing section is a needle prick, the cutting room uses powered knives that cut dozens of layers of fabric in a single stroke; a moment's inattention can cost a finger. That is why cutting room safety should be a separate and detailed heading in a garment risk assessment.

Textile and ready-to-wear production is widespread in Bursa and the surrounding provinces; cutting rooms exist both inside large factories and in small workshops working as subcontractors. For the workshop's general risks, see our article on OHS in garment workshops; this article focuses only on the cutting section.

Spreading and lay cutting

Lay cutting means spreading fabric on the table layer by layer and cutting all layers together according to the marker placed on top. Risks begin before cutting, at the spreading stage:

Handling fabric rolls: Heavy rolls are lifted by hand and loaded onto the spreading machine. A roll lifting device or hanging rack should be used, and heavy rolls should be carried by two people.
Spreading machine: The spreading carriage travelling up and down the table can trap a person at the end of the table or a hand between it and a fixed obstacle. The carriage's travel path should be kept clear, and buffers and the emergency stop, where fitted, should be working.
Long tables and reaching: Reaching for fabric in the middle of a wide table creates back strain; table height and working direction should be planned accordingly.
Fabric dust: Fibre dust released during cutting and spreading is both inhaled and builds up to create a fire load; the areas under tables and light fittings should be cleaned regularly.

Straight knife cutting machine

A straight knife machine is a portable machine that the operator guides by hand across the table, cutting with a straight blade that moves up and down. Its main parts are the blade, the adjustable knife guard in front of the blade, the base plate and the automatic sharpener.

Rules for safe use:

The guard is set to the height of the lay. The guard is lowered to just above the lay being cut, minimising the length of exposed blade. Leaving the guard up is a known cause of cutting machine accidents.
The hand holding the fabric stays outside the line of the blade, and a chain mail glove is worn on this hand.
The machine is guided, not pulled. The operator pushes the machine in the cutting direction and does not bring the blade towards themselves.
The cable is fed from above. A cable dragged across the table can fall in front of the blade and be cut; a cable suspension system is used, and the cable and plug are checked every shift.
The machine is stopped when parked. The motor of an idle machine is switched off, its guard lowered fully and it is placed where it cannot fall over.

Band knife machine

A band knife machine is stationary: an endless band knife runs continuously through the table, and the operator pushes the block of fabric to be cut towards the blade. It is used for precision cutting, and the fabric is usually slid over an air-flotation table. Here, hands come much closer to the blade than with a straight knife machine.

Blade guard: The whole blade must be enclosed except at the cutting point. The guide and guard above the cutting point are lowered according to the height of the block being cut. Annex I, 2.8 of the Regulation on Health and Safety Requirements for the Use of Work Equipment requires equipment with a risk of contact with moving parts to be fitted with guards that prevent access to the danger zone.
Small parts: When cutting small parts, guide the fabric with a template or as part of a larger block rather than bringing your fingers close to the blade.
Blade breakage: A band knife runs under tension and can break. Annex I, 2.7 of the Regulation requires suitable protective measures against the risk of parts breaking or shattering; blade covers are kept closed and tension is set according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Chain mail glove: Worn on the hand guiding the fabric towards the blade.

Chain mail gloves: which hand, and how?

Machine or job	Glove	Why
Straight knife cutting	Chain mail glove on the hand holding the fabric	Protects the hand close to the line of the blade
Band knife cutting	Chain mail glove on the hand guiding the fabric towards the blade	Hands come close to the blade
Cutting with hand shears	Cut-resistant gloves if needed	Shear blades and fabric edges
Knife changing and sharpening	Cut-resistant gloves	The blade edge is sharp even with the power off

The EN 1082-1 standard is used for chain mail gloves worn against hand knives; the same type of glove is used in the cutting room. The glove must fit the hand, the rings must be checked for breaks at the start of each shift, and damaged gloves must not be used. For glove types, see our article on choosing work gloves.

Safe working during knife sharpening and knife changes

A blunt blade needs more pushing force; the fabric slips and the hand comes closer to the line of the blade. Sharpening is therefore a safety matter, not just a productivity one.

Automatic sharpener: On straight knife machines, the sharpener works with abrasive belts. During sharpening, the hand is not placed under the guard; abrasive belts are changed with the machine unplugged.
Band knife grinding wheels: The wheels run inside an enclosure; wheel changes and adjustments are done with the power isolated and locked out.
Knife change: The power is isolated and locked out, the tension is released from the band knife and cut-resistant gloves are worn. The old blade is folded, wrapped in tape and placed in a sharps container; it is not left exposed.
Hand tools: For utility knives used in cutting patterns and labels, models with self-retracting blades are preferred; shears are kept sharp.

We explained how to isolate power during maintenance and adjustment in our article on lockout and tagout, and guard design in our article on machine guards. If you have an old cutting machine or one without a CE mark, see our article on bringing old non-CE machines into compliance.

Who can use them? Authorisation and training

Under Art. 8 of the Regulation on Work Equipment, work equipment involving specific risks is used only by persons assigned to use it; repair, maintenance and adjustment are also carried out by persons specifically assigned to this work. Art. 11 requires workers who will use the equipment to be trained on the risks and means of protection before using it.

In the cutting room, this means in practice:

The persons who will use cutting machines are designated in writing, and the list is posted in the section.
A new operator learns the machine under the supervision of an experienced cutter; guard adjustment, sharpening, parking and the emergency stop are demonstrated in practice.
Anyone not on the list is prohibited from using the machine "just to cut one piece".
Cutting machines are covered separately in the job- and workplace-specific risks section of basic training.

Cutting room checklist

Are the guards on straight knife machines working and adjusted to the height of the lay?
Is the band knife enclosed except at the cutting point, and are the covers in place?
Are chain mail gloves intact, the right size and in use?
Are cables fed from above, and are cables and plugs undamaged?
Are emergency stop buttons working?
Is there a written instruction for knife changing and sharpening?
Is the list of persons authorised to use the machines up to date?
Has fabric dust built up under tables, on light fittings and around the area?
Is there a sharps container, and is it used?
Is there a roll lifting device or handling arrangement for fabric rolls?

In its OHS specialist service, Bursa Sistemer assesses the cutting rooms of garment workshops in the textile sector as a separate section, and checks machine guards, glove use and authorisation lists during site walks.

Frequently Asked Questions

On which hand is the chain mail glove worn with a straight knife cutting machine?

On the hand holding the fabric, that is, the hand not guiding the machine. This is the hand closest to the line of the blade; however, the glove does not replace correct adjustment of the guard.

What happens when a band knife breaks, and how can it be prevented?

A band knife under tension can whip when it breaks. Keeping blade covers closed, setting tension according to the manufacturer's instructions and replacing worn blades in time reduce this risk.

Who can use machines in the cutting room?

Only persons assigned and trained to use these machines. Maintenance, adjustment and repair are also carried out by persons assigned to that work.

Does the cutting room need a separate risk assessment in a less hazardous garment workshop?

The risk assessment is carried out for the whole workplace, but the cutting room should be a separate and detailed heading within it. The less hazardous classification does not reduce the risk of the cutting machines.