EU and Brazil align safety rules
A group of Brazilian leather and footwear machinery experts is visiting Europe in order to learn more about local safety standards which may be applicable to similar products made in Brazil.
The trip, which has been organised by the Brazilian Association of Leather, Footwear and Leathergoods Machinery and Equipment Manufacturers (ABRAMEQ), is part of the Support Project for International Insertion of Brazilian Small and Medium-sized Companies (PAIIPME), funded by the European Union and implemented by the Brazilian Agency for Industrial Development (ABDI), a body belonging to the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade (MDIC).
The delegation’s organisers have explained that the concern with safety in this sector arises from a lack of specific safety standards for the operation of leather and footwear machinery. The biggest problem is that the same rules are often applied to pieces of equipment that have different characteristics.
The main purpose of the trip is to carry out a comparative study of Brazilian and European rules, legislation and practices. Further down the line, a proposal of safety standard adaptations to be applied in Brazil in relation to this equipment will be prepared.
"Once we are back in Brazil, we will organise events in order to introduce the conclusions and suggestions of this study to Brazilian manufacturers," said Marcelo Adriano, ABRAMEQ's managing director.
The group will visit three European countries. In Portugal, delegates will visit the Centre for Technological Support to the Metal-Mechanical Industry (CATIM) as well as machinery and safety device factories. In Spain, they will explore better practice and possible applications for leather and footwear machinery at the National Institute for Work Safety and Hygiene and the Machinery Inspection Centre. Then, in Germany, they will visit the testing and certifying organisation BG-Prüfzert as well as making contact with technicians at the Hannover Exhibition.
