In brief
Most accidents on packaging lines happen when jammed packaging is cleared by hand while the machine is running; the case taper’s blade and drive belts, flow-pack jaws and the hot surfaces of the shrink tunnel are the typical danger points at that moment. Employees on the same line also carry an ergonomic load from reaching and gripping movements repeated dozens of times a minute. The risk assessment should address the machines and the line speed together.
Packaging line safety: where is the risk concentrated?
In a food factory, while a few operators monitor large machines in the production area, the largest team often works at the end of the line, in packaging. Packaging line safety must therefore answer two separate questions together: where can the machines catch a hand, and how many thousand times does the same employee make the same movement during a shift?
The common scenario in packaging accidents is clear: a case, pouch or film jams; because stopping the line would disrupt the production plan, the employee tries to clear the packaging by hand without stopping the machine. At that moment, the hand enters the area normally behind the guard. The table below summarises the main machines on the line and their typical danger points:
| Machine | Danger point | Typical incident | Basic measure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vertical form-fill and flow-pack | Heated sealing jaws, film cutter | Fingers trapped and burned while clearing a jammed pouch | Interlocked cover, guard preventing access to the jaw area |
| Case taping machine | Tape cutting blade, side drive belts, top head | Cuts when changing tape, hand trapped between belt and case | Blade guard, infeed tunnel, emergency stops at both ends |
| Shrink tunnel and L-sealer | Sealing bar, inside and exit of the tunnel | Contact with hot surfaces, burns while straightening product in the tunnel | Cover interlock, insulation, cooling time |
| Gas shrink gun | Open flame, LPG hose | Burns, pallet or packaging fire | Area kept clear of flammable material, hose checks |
| Stretch wrapping machine | Turntable, wrapping arm | Crushed feet, being struck by the arm | Perimeter guarding, marked zone around the turntable |
| Conveyors and transfer points | Between belt and drum, transfer gaps | Hand drawn in while picking up packaging | Fixed guard, pull cord |
For the general principles of guard design on machines, see our article on machine guards, and for preparation machines such as mincers and slicers, see our article on safety of food machinery.
The packaging machine: filling, sealing and film zone
In vertical form-fill and flow-pack packaging machines, film is drawn from the reel, the product is filled, heated jaws seal the pouch and a blade cuts it. The jaw zone carries two hazards at the same time: closing force and heat. Access to this zone should be prevented by an interlocked cover that stops the machine when opened. Bridging the cover switch is a common finding in inspections of these machines.
Two rules for adjustment and clearing jams should go into the written instructions:
- Short intervention: The machine is stopped, it is confirmed that moving parts have come to a complete stop, and the cover is opened. If adjustment is needed, the low-speed, hold-to-run setting mode provided by the manufacturer is used.
- Longer intervention: If maintenance is to be done on the jaws, blade or film path, the energy is cut off and lockout-tagout (LOTO) is applied. With pneumatic jaws, releasing the compressed air must not be forgotten.
Changing the film reel is also a separate risk. Fitting a heavy reel onto the shaft by hand leads to back and hand injuries; a reel trolley or lifting aid should be used. Art. 9 of the Regulation on Health and Safety Requirements for the Use of Work Equipment requires the employer to take full account of employees’ posture and ergonomic principles when they use equipment; changing the reel is a direct application of this provision.
Blade, belts and top head on the case taping machine
Case taping machines look simple, but they have three separate danger points:
- Tape cutting blade: The serrated blade sits inside the tape head and is covered by a spring-loaded guard. When the head is removed to change the tape roll, the blade is exposed. Tape changes should be done with the machine stopped, the head removed to a bench, and cut-resistant gloves worn. For glove selection, see our article on choosing work gloves.
- Side drive belts: The belts that pull the case also pull in a hand that gets between the case and the belt. No one should reach into the infeed to push or pull a jammed case. The infeed tunnel should be long enough to prevent the hand reaching the belt zone.
- Top head and flap folder: The top head, adjusted to the height of the case, can cause crushing between the hand and the case as it comes down during adjustment.
Emergency stop buttons should be on both the infeed and outfeed sides of the machine, accessible from every point where an operator stands. The conveyor transfer points after the case taping machine are also entrapment points; our article on conveyor safety offers a detailed list of measures for these points.
Shrink machine burn risk: tunnel, sealing bar and gun
Shrink machine burn accidents occur on two different pieces of equipment. The first is the L-sealing unit that wraps the product in film and the heat tunnel that follows it. The sealing bar both traps and burns; an employee who reaches in to straighten a product that has fallen over at the tunnel entrance meets hot air and hot surfaces. The measures are these:
- An interlocked guard or two-hand control for the sealing bar zone,
- Insulation of touchable surfaces on the tunnel body and a “hot surface” warning,
- Removing a product that has fallen over inside the tunnel with a long-handled tool after stopping the machine and waiting,
- A cleaning plan so that film residue does not build up in the tunnel. Overheated film, especially PVC-based film, can give off irritant fumes; check whether there is extraction above the tunnel.
The second is the LPG-fired shrink gun used for pallet wrapping. Here, work is done with an open flame. The area where the gun is used should be kept clear of cardboard and film stock, the hose and connections should be visually checked at the start of every shift, and a suitable extinguisher should be nearby. For cylinder storage and measures against gas leaks, see our article on gas leaks at work.
Packaging ergonomics: pace, reaching and case loads
The source of packaging ergonomics problems is not a single heavy lift but the number of small movements. Let us do a simple example calculation: the line puts out 40 products a minute, and two operators place the products into cases. That means each operator reaches and grips about 20 times a minute. Over a net working time of 450 minutes after breaks, this amounts to about 9,000 repetitions per shift. If the same movement is combined with bending the wrist or reaching above shoulder height, the load multiplies.
Common ergonomic mistakes in packaging and their solutions:
- Reaching across the belt: If the product flows along the edge farthest from the operator, the trunk bends forward with every movement. Gathering the product towards the operator’s side with a product guide eliminates this reach.
- Working at a fixed height: Employees of different heights use the same workbench. An adjustable platform or bench height allows work at elbow height.
- Pinch grip when closing cases: Constantly pressing down the flaps with the fingertips tires the hand and forearm. A flap-folding aid or semi-automatic closing reduces this load.
- Palletising at the end of the line: Stacking cases on a pallet requires bending for the lower layers and lifting above the shoulder for the upper layers. A height-adjustable pallet lift table or a rotating pallet base reduces these two extremes. For case weights, you can use the NIOSH calculation in our article on how many kilos can be lifted. The manual handling of cases is also assessed under the Regulation on Manual Handling.
Posture analysis methods such as REBA and RULA can be used to assess pace and the number of repetitions. Our article on repetitive movements on assembly lines offers a detailed plan for rotation and micro-breaks. For businesses doing seasonal packaging, our article on pepper processing and packaging in Yenişehir gives an example close to businesses in and around Bursa.
How is the packaging line addressed in the risk assessment?
It is not enough to cover the packaging line in a single line of the risk assessment as “packaging: entrapment”. Walk the line machine by machine and station by station:
- Ask operators where jams occur most often on each machine and put the intervention method at that point in writing.
- Test at the start of every shift whether the interlocked guards work; if a bridged switch is found, investigate why. Usually the reason is that jams are very frequent and stopping wastes time.
- Record the line speed, the number of products per station and employee rotation.
- The conveyors on the line appear under the heading “continuous handling equipment” in Annex III of the Work Equipment Regulation and are subject to a periodic inspection once a year unless the standard specifies a shorter period. These inspections are carried out by authorised persons registered on EKİPNET (the Ministry’s register of persons authorised to inspect work equipment).
- When buying a new packaging machine, check the CE marking and the declaration of conformity; from 20 January 2027, the Machinery Safety Regulation (2023/1230/EU) applies to machinery placed on the market.
At Bursa Sistemer OSGB, in our risk assessment work we observe the packaging line on site while it is running, and score entrapment points and ergonomic load in the same table. We plan the periodic inspections of conveyors with authorised persons and track their schedule under our periodic inspection service. For other risks specific to the food sector, see our food sector page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should the machine be stopped to remove a jammed product from a packaging machine?
Yes. A jam is cleared after the machine has been stopped and it has been confirmed that moving parts have come to a complete stop. If a longer intervention is needed on the jaws, blade or film path, the energy is cut off and lockout-tagout is applied.
What is the most common injury on a case taping machine?
Cuts from contact with the tape cutting blade while changing the tape roll, and hands being caught in the side belts that pull the case, are the most common incidents. Tape changes should be done with the machine stopped and with cut-resistant gloves.
Is a shrink tunnel subject to periodic inspection?
Packaging machines do not appear as a separate item in the Annex III tables of the Work Equipment Regulation. However, the conveyors on the line are subject to periodic inspection once a year as continuous handling equipment, and the electrical installation supplying the machines under the relevant heading. The tunnel itself is monitored as part of maintenance and the risk assessment.
How is ergonomic risk measured in packaging?
It starts with observation: the number of repetitions per minute per station, reach distance, and wrist and shoulder posture are recorded. They are then scored with methods such as REBA and RULA, and the result is entered into the risk assessment.
A risk assessment that identifies and scores hazards on site, links each measure to an owner and a date, and has a clear renewal schedule.
Bursa SİSTEMER OSGB Technical Team — written from the field experience of our OHS specialists and workplace physicians. Legal information is valid as of the publication/update date; contact us for an assessment specific to your business.