Safeguarding Machinery

Safeguards are essential for protecting workers from preventable injuries caused by moving machine parts. Any machine part, function, or process that may cause injury must be safeguarded. Machine guards are barriers that prevent access to the danger area of a machine.

Moving machine parts can cause injuries, such as crushed fingers or hands, amputations, burns, or blindness. Workers who operate and maintain machinery experience approximately 18,000 amputations, lacerations, crushing injuries, and abrasions, and more than 800 deaths per year.  

Amputations are one of the most severe and crippling types of injuries in the occupational workplace, and often result in permanent disability. Amputations are widespread and involve a variety of activities and equipment.    

Amputations often occur when the following equipment is unguarded or inadequately safeguarded: Mechanical power presses Power press brakes Roll-forming and roll-bending machines Band saws Drill presses Milling machines Shears, grinders, and slitters Table and portable saws

Your company must protect workers from amputation hazards through adequate guarding and worker training on how to do the job safely. The best way to prevent amputations caused by stationary or portable machinery is with machine safeguarding.

Safeguards should be secure and strong, and workers should not be able to bypass, remove, or tamper with them. Safeguards should not obstruct the operator’s view or prevent others from working.

Safeguards must prevent hands, arms, and any other part of a worker's body from making contact with dangerous moving parts. 

Machine guards protect workers from: The point of operation In-running nip points Rotating parts Flying chips and sparks

Types of machine guards include: Fixed Interlocked Adjustable Self-adjusting

Fixed guarding is a permanent part of the machine Fixed guarding is a permanent part of the machine. They may be constructed of sheet metal, screen, wire cloth, bars, or plastic. Fixed guards provide a barrier and allow for stock feeding but do not allow the operator to reach the danger area.

Interlocked guards stop the machine before a worker can reach their hand into the danger area. When an interlocked machine guard is opened or removed, the: Tripping mechanism and/or power automatically shuts off or disengages Moving parts of the machine are stopped Machine cannot cycle or be started until the guard is back in place

Adjustable guards are useful because they allow flexibility in accommodating different sizes of stock. They provide a barrier that may be adjusted to work with a variety of production operations.

Self-adjusting guards open and close to admit stock Self-adjusting guards open and close to admit stock. They provide a barrier that moves according to the size of the stock entering the danger area.

Machine operators should receive specific and detailed training in safeguarding against mechanical hazards.

Training should explain: All hazards in the work area, including machine-specific hazards Safe work practices and machine operating procedures The purpose and proper use of machine safeguards All procedures for responding to safeguarding problems

When engineering controls cannot fully protect workers, machine operators must wear personal protective equipment (PPE). Appropriate PPE may include hard hats, eye protection, hearing protection, protective coveralls, special sleeves and gloves, and protective footwear.

Sometimes PPE can create a hazard, like a protective glove becoming caught between rotating parts or loose clothing becoming entangled in rotating spindles or other kinds of moving equipment.

Workers should not wear loose-fitting clothing or jewelry or other items that could become entangled in machinery. Long hair should be worn under a cap or otherwise contained to prevent entanglement in moving machinery.

Safe work practices when working around machinery include: Remove slip, trip, and fall hazards from the areas around machines Use drip pans when oiling equipment Remove waste stock as it is generated Make the work area large enough for machine operation and maintenance Place machines away from high traffic areas to reduce worker distraction

Machinery can be an amputation hazard to the workers who operate it Machinery can be an amputation hazard to the workers who operate it. Your company must protect workers from amputations. Machine safeguarding can help protect workers from amputations. Make sure you always have the proper safeguards in place while using machinery.