Job Summary

Organize, open, and put in laydowns while otherwise maintaining the operation of the Opening Room from turning laydowns to operating Waste Bales and Automated Balers.

Tools & Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Required

EAR PLUGS

HEAD/FACE SHIELD

SAFETY GLASSES

CUT RESISTANT GLOVES

CUT RESISTANT SLEEVES

RESPIRATOR (AS NEEDED)

UTILITY KNIFE

Machine Parts and Descriptions:

• Rieter Unifloc.
• Waste Hoppers. Allows waste and other cotton to be processed into waste bales.
• Upright Automatic Balers (used to bales yarn waste and bale wrappings)

Evaluation of Job Duties

• Complete pre-shift forklift inspection and fill out check-list form. Perform daily maintenance and cleaning on the truck.
  • Only licensed forklift operators are allowed to drive rotator trucks.
  • Safety glasses and respirator are to be worn whenever compressed air is used.
• Laydowns should be filled as they open. Any remaining cotton left over from the previous laydown should be stacked to the side. The open position should then be swept clean and any metal, tags, plastic and etc. should be removed before putting in the new laydown.
• Locate bales in prearranged laydown storage in the warehouse. They need to be used in sequential numerical order.
• Bring bales into the laydown staging area 2 at a time unless using a 4-bale squeeze.
• Cut bale covering along top, bottom and side of bale with utility knife.
  • Always wear Kevlar gloves and sleeves when using a utility knife. Never use a dull blade.
• Chalk ticket number on side of bale that will be facing out in laydown.
• Remove tickets and place in bag with laydown manifest.
• Using the rotating forklift, take one bale at a time to the positioning pole. Wear all of your assigned PPE equipment when cutting the bands or wires.
  • When handling wires or bands, you are required to wear a Poly Carb Face Shield, Safety Glasses, Kevlar Gloves and Kevlar Sleeves. Long trousers and shirt with sleeves are required to protect your body from scratches from the wires.
• Clean all sides of bale with or a brush. Make sure there are no wires or tags on the bale.
  • Safety glasses and respirator are to be worn whenever compressed air is used.
• Stage cotton bales in the warehouse area according to the current bale configuration. If a bale is soiled while being staged, the contaminant must be cleared.
• Using the rotating forklift, take one bale at a time to the proper Unifloc position, making sure bale is aligned properly. Return to warehouse for next bale and repeat steps until the laydown is complete. Use left-over cotton from previous laydown to level off the top of the new laydown.
• The first 3 bales of a laydown must be aligned within 18” of the yellow line near the control panels of the Unifloc.
  • Failure to do so will result in machine downtime.
• The appropriate number of reclaim bales must be staged for each laydown.
• Place reclaim tickets and all opened bale tickets in the bag with laydown manifest. Loss of a bale ticket may result in disciplinary action. Turn laydown manifests into supervisor at end of shift.
• When the other side of the laydown is near completion, turn the Unifloc over to the new laydown. Operator must stay with the Unifloc until all of the excess cotton from top of laydown has been consumed and the Unifloc is running on a level laydown.
• If the Unifloc should stop or choke, the operator will make every attempt to ascertain problem and restart machinery in a timely manner. If the operator is unable to restart the Unifloc then a card fixer is to be notified immediately.
• After bags and wires are removed from bale, they are to be stacked neatly on the floor and disposed of two times per shift (before dinner and before last break).
• Burlap covers and plastic covers must be baled separately. Use fork truck to transport bale coverings to the automated balers.
• Fill out paperwork for each cotton laydown and put papers in the holders at each end of the laydown.
• Put wires on the forks of your forklift and transport them to the dumpster on the side dock. Plastic straps need to be taken to the designated automatic baler.
  • Never carry wires in your hand while operating a fork truck. When handling wires you must wear all of your PPE equipment.