Trash Compactors & Balers
Cardboard balers and trash compactors are in the back of almost every store, warehouse and restaurant. Workers, including teenagers, have been crushed and killed after climbing in to clear a jam or retrieve something while the ram could still move.
- Retail
- Warehouses
- Restaurants
- Young workers
Photo: vertical cardboard baler with gate interlock, a posted lockout procedure and a warning sign
The danger
- The ram exerts tons of force. Anyone inside the chamber when it moves can be crushed.
- Jams tempt workers to reach or climb in.
- Someone else may start the machine without knowing a coworker is inside.
- Ejected bales and snapping bale wire or straps can strike workers.
Rules for using them
- Only trained, authorized workers operate balers and compactors.
- Never defeat interlocks on gates and doors; they stop the ram when opened.
- Never climb in or reach in while the machine has power.
- Lock out and tag out before clearing jams, cleaning or retrieving anything from inside. See Lockout/Tagout.
- Use the bale ejection procedure exactly as written, and stay out of the bale’s path.
- Report damaged gates, interlocks or controls and stop using the machine.
Teen workers
Federal child labor law generally bars workers under 18 from operating or unloading power-driven balers and compactors. 16- and 17-year-olds may only load certain machines that meet safety standards and are labeled as such, and never operate, unload or clear them. See Young & Teen Workers.
Before each use
- Gate and door interlocks work
- Emergency stop works
- No one inside or near the chamber
- Warning signs and the lockout procedure posted
- Area around the machine clear of debris
Standards & references
- 29 CFR 1910.147: Control of hazardous energy
- U.S. DOL: Child labor rules for balers and compactors
- ANSI Z245.2 and Z245.5: Stationary compactors and balers
- See also: Clearing Jams Safely
Last updated: