Moving machine parts have the potential to cause severe workplace injuries, such as crushed fingers or hands, amputations, burns, or blindness. Amputations, lacerations, and abrasions are costly and have the potential to increase workers' compensation premiums. (Amputation is one of the most severe and crippling types of injuries in the occupational workplace, often resulting in permanent disability.) Due to this fact, OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration) has established a set of standards around machine guarding. The purpose of machine guarding is to protect the machine operator and other employees in the work area from hazards created during the machine's normal operation. This would include hazards of concern such as: ingoing nip points, rotating parts, reciprocating, transversing, and/or flying chips & sparks.
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Any machine part, function, or process that might cause injury must be safeguarded. When the operation of a machine or accidental contact with it could injure the operator or others in the vicinity, the hazards must be either controlled or eliminated.
Dangerous moving parts require safeguarding because these three areas of the machine are most likely to cause injuries:
The basic types of hazardous mechanical motions and actions are:
Motions Actions Rotating (including in-running nip points) Cutting Reciprocating Punching Transversing Shearing bending
Good inspection, maintenance and repair procedures contribute significantly to the safety of the maintenance crew as well as to the operators. To ensure the integrity of the machinery and machine safeguards, a proactive, versus a break-down maintenance program needs to be established based upon the manufacturer's recommendations and good engineering practices.
29 CFR Subpart O and P
Most machines have moving parts that have the potential to cause injury. Those injuries include pinching, crushing, and amputation. Machine guarding is basically guarding or protecting machine parts that are the most dangerous to the operator. Any machine part, function, or process which may cause injury must be safeguarded. Machine guarding reduces the likelihood that an accident will occur because of things like mechanical failure, human error, electrical failure, or poor design.
Guard means a barrier that prevents entry of the operator&#;s hands or fingers into the point of operation.
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OSHA .211(d)(32)
Using a machine safely, to avoid a potential injury, entails many factors. There are many different types of machine safeguards. The type of guard that has to be used depends on the machine and the hazards it can pose. Before using any equipment the operator should be trained in how to use the safeguards, where the safeguards are located, the kind of protection they provide, and which hazards they protect against. Operators need to know how and under what circumstances guards can be removed and they should be able to identify when guards are damaged, missing or inadequate.
Machine guarding helps to prevent amputations, lacerations, crushing injuries and abrasions. Without such guarding, the resulting injury can be severe or even fatal. There&#;s never a good reason to remove a guard on a machine that you&#;re using, even if you think you can work faster without it. Guards are there to protect you!
Don&#;t overlook this important safety measure. There are many details to know.
Compliance Consultants, Inc. can assess and advise you on any needs around machine guarding. Contact us today. Compliance Consultants, Inc.
Resources: OSHA Standards
https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber//.212
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