In brief
On circular and flat knitting machines, accidents mostly happen when dealing with yarn breaks, changing needles and lowering fabric rolls, when a hand is reached in before the machine has fully stopped. Door interlocks, an inch mode and isolating the energy make these moments safe; machines run with doors closed against broken needle fragments. In knitting halls, noise, lint and needle oil should also be addressed as separate headings in the risk assessment.
Knitting machine safety: two machines, shared risks
On the night shift, the yarn breaks on a circular knitting machine. Without waiting for the machine to stop completely, the operator reaches over the slowing cylinder towards the feeder; their arm goes in between the needle bed and the sinker ring. When knitting machine safety is discussed, what first comes to mind is not "a fast-spinning machine" but these few seconds when the machine has slowed down but not stopped.
There are two families of machines in knitting businesses, and their risks are concentrated at different points:
| Machine | Danger zone | Typical moment of the accident | Key measure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Circular knitting | Rotating cylinder, sinker ring, feeders | Yarn break, threading, needle change | Interlocked perimeter doors, inch mode, full stop |
| Circular knitting, lower section | Fabric take-down rollers, winding shaft, fabric roll | Lowering the roll, starting a new winding | Interlocked door, roll lowering device |
| Flat knitting (carriage type) | Carriage moving back and forth, needle bed | Fixing broken yarn, needle change | Front cover interlock, carriage park position |
| Flat knitting, lower section | Fabric take-down rollers | Pulling out jammed fabric | Intervention with the machine stopped |
| All machines | Broken needle fragments, entanglement in rotating parts | Normal production | Working with covers closed, suitable clothing |
In textile businesses in Bursa and neighbouring provinces, these machines are used at a wide range of scales, from plants where dozens of machines run in the same hall to workshops with a few machines. Although the scale changes, the moments when accidents happen are the same.
Circular knitting: rotating cylinder and fabric roll
On a circular knitting machine, the needles move in the grooves of a cylinder rotating at high speed. The yarn comes from the bobbins on the creel to the cylinder through feeders; the knitted fabric is drawn down by take-down rollers in the lower section of the machine and wound into a roll. Three zones need separate protection:
- Around the cylinder and feeders: On modern machines, the area around the cylinder is enclosed by interlocked doors. When a door is opened the machine should stop, and while the door is open, only an inch mode that runs at low speed as long as the button is held down should be available.
- Take-down and winding unit: The rollers drawing the fabric create a nip point. This zone is entered only with the machine stopped, to cut the fabric roll or restart winding.
- Lowering the fabric roll: The roll is lowered after the cylinder and winding shaft have stopped. A roll trolley or lifting device is used for heavy rolls; a set-down place is defined to prevent the roll from rolling. For manual handling techniques, see our article on manual handling and lifting technique.
Item 2.8 of Annex I of the Regulation on Work Equipment requires guards against the risk of contact with moving parts to be robust, not easily rendered ineffective and located at a sufficient distance from the danger zone. Under item 2.13, maintenance work is carried out with the equipment fully stopped; if this is not possible, the necessary measures are taken. For the general principles of guard design, see our article on machine guards.
The carriage on a flat knitting machine
On carriage-type flat knitting machines, the hazard is the carriage moving back and forth over the needle bed. The operator opens the front cover to fix a broken yarn or a problem on the needle bed. When the cover is opened, the carriage should stop and should not move again until the cover is closed. Moving the carriage to the machine's park position before intervening keeps your hand out of the carriage's path.
Knitting machine accidents: needle breakage and entanglement
Knitting machine accidents are not just about getting caught. Two other risks are common:
Needle breakage. Latch needles fatigue and break. A broken fragment can fly off at high speed; this is why eye injuries are an expected risk in knitting halls. Items 2.5 and 2.7 of Annex I of the Regulation on Work Equipment require suitable protection against the risk of parts being ejected or breaking. In practice, this means the following:
- Machines run with their covers closed; a transparent cover that is scratched or cracked is replaced.
- If there is a broken needle detector, it is kept switched on. The detector prevents both fabric faults and running with a broken needle.
- Needles are changed after the machine has been stopped and its energy isolated; for lengthy changes, lockout and tagout is applied.
- Broken and used needles are collected in a lidded container; they are not left on the floor or the workbench.
- Safety glasses are worn when changing needles and for work close to the machine. For selection, see our article on safety glasses and face shields.
Entanglement. Long hair, loose sleeves, scarves, necklaces and rings can become entangled in rotating parts. In the knitting hall, hair is tied back, no jewellery is worn and close-fitting work clothing is worn. Gloves can also be drawn in around rotating cylinders and shafts.
Door interlocks: testing them and preventing defeat
The door interlock is the most important protective device on a knitting machine, but only if it works. The most common problem we see on site is interlocks, thought to slow production, being defeated with magnets, tape or bridging.
- Test at the start of the shift. On each machine, open the door and see that the machine stops or does not start. Record the result on a short checklist.
- Do not forget the emergency stop. Emergency stop buttons should be accessible around the machine and tested periodically. For details, see our article on the emergency stop button.
- Ask for a design that resists defeat. Prefer coded or hard-to-defeat safety switches; write this into the specification when buying new machines. The TS EN ISO 11111 series of safety standards for textile machinery and the Machinery Safety Regulation (2023/1230/EU), most of whose provisions come into force on 20 January 2027, are the basis for this.
- Solve the cause. If an interlock is being defeated, ask why the operator sees it as an obstacle. Usually the problem is that the inch mode does not work, or that threading cannot be done any other way than with the door open.
Knitting noise, lint and needle oil
Knitting noise levels rise as the number of machines in the hall increases. The thresholds of the Noise Regulation are as follows: at the lower exposure action value of 80 dB(A), hearing protection is made available; at the upper exposure action value of 85 dB(A), its use is mandatory; and the exposure limit value of 87 dB(A), taking account of the effect of the protector, may never be exceeded. If 85 dB(A) is exceeded, hearing tests are mandatory. We plan noise measurements with authorised laboratories and enter the results into the risk assessment; we explained how measurement is carried out in our article on workplace noise measurement, and methods of reduction at source in reducing noise at source.
Two more topics are often overlooked on site along with noise:
- Lint and fibres: Lint produced during knitting accumulates on machines, light fittings and cable trays; it causes both respiratory complaints and fire load. Cleaning with compressed air spreads lint into the room and can cause eye injuries; use vacuum cleaning wherever possible. For the fire side of fibres, see our article on fire and fibres in textile warehouses.
- Needle oil: It makes the floor around machines slippery, can create oil mist and can irritate the skin with repeated contact. Fix dripping points through maintenance and clean the floor regularly.
Knitwear workshop OHS: a checklist for small workshops
A knitwear workshop with a few machines has the same OHS obligations as a large plant. Start with this list:
- Do the door interlock and emergency stop work on each machine, and are they tested at the start of the shift?
- Is there a short written instruction for changing needles and threading?
- Are broken needles collected in a lidded container?
- Are a device and a set-down place defined for lowering fabric rolls?
- Has a noise measurement been carried out, hearing protection issued and hearing tests planned?
- Is lint build-up cleaned regularly, and are electrical panels closed and protected from dust?
- Are escape routes blocked by fabric rolls and yarn boxes?
- Have new and temporary workers received induction training before going onto a machine?
We explained how to arrange escape routes in a dense workshop layout in our article on escape routes in Yıldırım garment workshops; workshops in and around Yıldırım are also within our service area. For similar risks on the weaving side, see our article on OHS in weaving businesses.
Setting up machine-by-machine interlock tests, instructions and noise measures on site in textile businesses is part of our OHS specialist service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a circular knitting machine be run with its door open?
It should not be run at full speed. With the door open the machine should stop; for jobs such as threading, only an inch mode that runs at low speed as long as the button is held down should be used. A machine running at full speed with its door open shows that the interlock has been defeated.
Who should change needles, and how?
A trained operator or maintenance worker does it after stopping the machine and isolating its energy. Safety glasses are worn during the change, and broken needles are collected in a lidded container. For lengthy jobs, the energy is locked out and tagged.
When is a noise measurement needed in the knitting hall?
A measurement is carried out if the risk assessment shows that noise may approach the action values. The measurement is repeated when the number of machines or the layout changes. It is carried out by an authorised laboratory; if 85 dB(A) is exceeded, hearing tests are mandatory.
Is it acceptable to clean lint off the machine with compressed air?
It is not recommended. Compressed air spreads lint around the hall and lets it reach the eyes and respiratory tract. Vacuum cleaning should be preferred; if compressed air is unavoidable, the machine must be stopped, the pressure reduced and safety glasses worn.
A certified specialist matched to your hazard class: site inspections, approved logbook, training plan, annual plan and report follow-up.
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.