Safety Risk Classification of a Marble Gang Saw Machine Using Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)

Öz

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) was applied to a gang saw machine operating in a marble processing facility in the Aegean Region of Türkiye, where 74 personnel work under a two-shift production system. The analysis aimed to identify and prioritize occupational safety risks associated with the cutting line under actual operating conditions**, focusing on a single high risk production machine rather than on a plant wide assessment. Based on expert evaluations, maintenance and breakdown records, occupational accident documentation, near miss reports and field observations, 26 potential failure modes were identified. Each failure mode was evaluated using Occurrence, Severity and Detectability parameters scored on a 1–10 scale and Risk Priority Numbers were calculated accordingly. Initial RPN values ranged from 162 to 294. The highest risk levels were associated with blade tension imbalance (294), blade fracture (288), operator intervention with guards open (288) and insufficient block fixation (280). Elevated RPN values were also observed for vibration exposure, noise exposure and slurry related slip hazards. Following the implementation of engineering controls, preventive maintenance improvements and reinforced operational procedures, recalculated RPN values decreased substantially, with all evaluated failure modes reduced below the immediate action threshold of 100. On average, the Risk Priority Number fell from 226.2 to 50.3, corresponding to an overall reduction of approximately 77.7 %. The results suggest that systematic machine level risk assessment provides a practical framework for strengthening occupational safety performance in marble processing facilities** and that the corrective logic identified here is transferable to comparable stone cutting equipment.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Failure mode and effects analysis
• Gang saw machine
• Marble processing
• Occupational health and safety in mines

Etik Beyan

Ethics committee approval was not required for this study because of there was no study on animals or humans.

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