How Clow Valve reduced bandsaw accidents to zero
Clow Valve is a manufacturer of hydrants and water valves. At their Oskaloosa site, they also manufacture the brass internal components of their hydrants and valves. For years, Clow Valve used abrasive saws to cut brass gates fresh from the foundry.
Then OSHA walked through the door.
"When they came through for our VPP recertification, they saw [the abrasive saws] and were like 'that's dangerous,'" remembers Jeff Beuthien, Production Supervisor. "That sent us on a path of getting bandsaws."
The fix that made things worse
Switching to conventional bandsaws seemed like the obvious solution. It wasn't.
"We started seeing a slight uptick in injuries – people getting nicked on their fingers," recalls Beuthien. "We wanted to do a better job at protecting our people."
The problem: traditional bandsaws required operators to hold parts inches from a moving blade. One slip, one moment of fatigue, and the operator's hand was in serious danger of an amputation.
Zero accidents after installing Guardian bandsaws
Jeff and his team installed Guardian G600 series safety bandsaws in 2023. The difference? Guardian's vision system stops the blade in milliseconds if a hand gets too close – before contact.
Fast enough, even when an object is thrown at it.
Since the installation, Clow Valve has had zero bandsaw accidents.
"We needed to do a better job at protecting our people," says Beuthien. "And Guardian was the ship to get us there."
To learn more, watch the full Clow Valve story below, or watch a video demo of our safety system.
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