Are You Investing in Machine Safety? Here's Why You Should
June 19, 2024
Are You Investing in Machine Safety? Here's Why You Should
OSHA consistently cites machine guarding as one of the top 10 safety violations in the workplace. This is particularly alarming as some estimates suggest that machines are involved in approximately 25% of serious workplace injuries!
At Stronghold Safety, we’ve been assessing potential risk and building custom safeguards for over 15 years. In this article, our machine safety experts consider why safeguarding is critical, and discuss the many solutions for maximizing safety and productivity.
Why is Machine Safeguarding Important?
Investing in machine safety is vital to the success of your business for 3 simple reasons. These are:
Machine guarding protects your employees from potential harm.
Machine safeguarding helps you stay compliant with safety regulations.
Industrial machine guarding minimizes downtime, lost production, and other risks.
1. Machine guarding protects your employees from potential harm.
Your employees are your most valuable asset, and you want to do everything you can to keep them safe. If an employee is injured while using a machine that isn’t properly safeguarded, the morale of your operators — and your relationship with them — could be jeopardized.
An efficient workplace is staffed by a collaborative team. Show your employees that you have their best interest in mind: conduct a machine guarding assessment to maximize confidence and productivity.
2. Machine safeguarding helps you stay compliant with safety regulations.
All businesses are required to comply with a variety of safety regulations governing the use of machinery. Failing to do so can result in hefty fines.
Comply with relevant regulations and industry standards to minimize the risk of unexpected expenditures. Optimize for consistent and stable output by installing machine safeguards.
3. Industrial machine guarding minimizes downtime, lost production, and other risks.
Injuries and accidents are not only costly in terms of human life, but they can also have a significant impact on your bottom line. Downtime, repairs, investigations, low morale, and low confidence all take time and resources away from productive work.
Develop an environment that is conducive to productivity. An investment in risk reduction consulting now reduces the likelihood of an unfortunate surprise later.
What are the Types of Machine Safeguarding?
There are many different types of machine safety solutions, including:
Physical Safeguarding, such as ejection curtains, perimeter guarding, and safety shields;
Electrical Safeguarding, like interlocking devices, magnetically coded sensors, and presence-sensing devices;
Fall Protection, such as safety gates, skylight protection, and mobile & permanent railing;
Safety Accessories, like chuck keys & wrenches, safety scales, and polishing attachments for lathes.
Safeguard Your Workers with Stronghold Safety Engineering
The importance of machine guarding can’t be quantified — until it’s too late. Investing in machine safety proactively protects your operators from injury, simplifies compliance with regulations and standards, and minimizes the risk of downtime.
In other words, machine safeguarding frees you up to do what you love: run your business.
At Stronghold Safety, we empower you to do just that. To discover how an investment in machine safety can benefit your business, reach out to our team today.