Safeguarding Machinery and Equipment: OSHA Standards
June 19, 2024
Safeguarding Machinery and Equipment: OSHA Standards
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulates safety in the workplace through standards and general requirements. In Standard 1910.212, OSHA provides guidelines for industrial and commercial operations that use heavy machinery.
At Stronghold Safety Engineering, we’ve been designing machinery guards for almost 2 decades. In this article, our safety experts provide clarity on OSHA’s machine guarding standards.
What is Machine Guarding?
Machine guarding is any physical safeguard that is installed on industrial equipment to maximize safety and minimize hazards. These preventative measures are required to ensure that employees can work confidently, productively, and safely.
OSHA Safeguarding Standards
Standard 1910.212 can be found in Occupational Safety and Health Standards 1910, subpart O: Machinery and Machine Guarding. These are general requirements for all commercial and industrial machines.
First, you must provide one or more methods for protecting your operators and any other employees that may be nearby during operation. This may sound easy enough, but the guarding must not present a hazard in itself, so proper design and installation are crucial.
Furthermore, physical safeguards must be installed on the machine itself, or secured elsewhere if that is not feasible. Installing a safeguard to the area on the machine in which work is performed is known as point of operation guarding.
OSHA Machine Safety: Point of Operation Guarding
It’s vital that you secure the places on your machinery in which operators perform their work. Point of operation guards protect operators, their limbs, and their eyes from flying debris, rotating parts, ingoing nip points, and other common hazards.
Guarding devices must comply with appropriate standards. However, where specific standards are absent, devices must prevent the operator from exposing any part of their body to the danger zone during an operating cycle.
Handtools may be used to supplement the required guarding, but handtools cannot be used to replace required safeguards. Some common machines that typically require point of operation guarding include:
Alligator Shears
Forming Rolls & Calenders
Guillotine Cutters
Jointers
Milling Machines
Portable Power Tools
Power Presses
Power Saws
Shears
More Standards for Safeguarding Machinery and Equipment
You must anchor your fixed machinery. If a machine is designed to occupy a fixed location, it must be secured to prevent unintentional movement.
Similarly, barrels, containers, and drums must be guarded to prevent unwanted revolving. OSHA requires the drive mechanism of the drum to be interlocked with the safeguard so that it can only move if the guard is in place.
Finally, ensure that all exposed blades are covered. Fan blades on a machine, for example, must be guarded if their periphery is less than 7-feet above the work floor.
Meet OSHA Machine Guarding Requirements with Stronghold Safety
Safeguarding machinery and equipment isn’t just a suggestion, it’s an essential part of any safe and productive work environment.
At Stronghold Safety, we offer an expansive catalog of safeguarding products and services, including assessments and installation.
To ensure that you meet applicable OSHA standards, and remain in compliance, reach out to our team of safety experts today.