Top 10 Machine Guarding Safety Tips That Could Save Lives!
One of the most frequent and severe accidents in industrial settings is machine-related injury. Inadequate machine safety procedures can have life-altering effects, ranging from crushed fingers to deadly accidents. Thus, organizations need to understand and implement the right machine guarding safety tips.
Machine guards serve as the first line of defense against unplanned exposure to potentially dangerous components. Regular training, inspections, and machine guarding toolbox talk sessions help reinforce safe practices and prevent workplace incidents.
Reducing risk and adhering to OSHA standards requires proactive machine safety procedures that keep your team informed and vigilant, whether you oversee a manufacturing facility or operate large machinery.
In less than 10 days, a worker’s hand got crushed, and two of them got injured as they suffered from partial amputation while operating machines without proper machine guarding or procedures in place.
This incident takes us back to the year 2016, where a company faced hefty OSHA penalties for:
Failing to guard machine operating parts
Installing improper machine safety guards
Not recording injuries in OSHA injury and illness logs
Stay compliant—review your machine guarding protocols today!
Rewinding the scenario
Had the following machine safety procedures been in place, the accident would have been avoided.
Machines are like a double-edged sword—they boost productivity but can be extremely dangerous without the proper machine safety practices.
On the one hand, they achieve a level of efficiency that is difficult to match for manual operations. On the other hand, they are extremely dangerous, especially since there is often a need for an operator or some form of human involvement. These accidents can range from a crushed finger to amputation and death (given in the example above). So, how are these risks reduced?
The answer is safeguarding by way of implementing machine guard safety.
Machines offer unmatched efficiency but bring serious risks like crushed fingers, amputations, or even fatalities. The solution? Robust machine guarding safety procedures.
As machines continue to become high-tech and complicated, we should keep up with the new advances in Industry 4.0 and strive to protect ourselves as best as possible.
It is essential to ensure that staff and employees are familiar with machine safety rules and to hold regular training sessions to update and reinforce this knowledge. Regular machine guarding toolbox talks can reinforce these principles and keep safety at the forefront of everyone’s mind.
The primary aim is to understand and identify when and where safeguards are needed, and how they coincide with operations, whether through a fixed guard, interlocking guard, or any other safety device.
Ask these questions:
Are safeguards in place to meet OSHA requirements?
Are safeguards preventing worker contact with moving parts?
Are the safeguards sufficient to allow the user to operate the machine comfortably?
Are point-of-operation safeguards provided for the machine?
Top 10 Golden Safety Rules
One of the motivations for the idea of the golden rules, or 10 rules, originally comes from the desire for rule simplification. The reason is that any safety professional’s first response would be ‘oh, my company’s got too many rules’ – so, we boil it down to just those that are essential and get rid of all the complexity.
Following machine safety rules serves (3) purposes –
1. Ensure Safe Operations: Machine Guarding and Properly Installed Safeguards
You must ensure that machine guarding safety devices are correctly installed and meet OSHA safety standards. As far as machine operators are concerned, it’s the responsibility of a business owner to follow these regulations and ensure that all employees who work on or around machines do so in complete safety.
Machine operators should have the ability to recognize the required machine guarding safeguards and be fully aware of potential problems that surround them. Training programs should emphasize that the legally required machine guarding safeguards are correctly installed and adjusted before the equipment is operated.
2. Never remove machine safeguards or try to get around them
Usually, it’s tempting for a machine operator to remove a safeguard that’s annoying, or the team attempts to bypass it if the guard is an obstruction in getting on the job. Even though the reason is that this is undoubtedly one of the most dangerous things to do around machinery, for this simple reason, safeguards are in place for a reason and should not be removed at any cost.
3. Never Use a Machine with Unauthorized or Damaged Machine Guarding Safeguards
There are chances that unauthorized machine guarding safeguards are installed in such a way that they don’t comply with the existing regulations.
Machinery shouldn’t be operated in such circumstances, or where the properly authorized machine guarding safeguards remain in a damaged condition.
4. In case of a machine safeguard problem, immediately report it to your supervisor
Machine operators should immediately report damage or safeguard failures, whose primary responsibility is to resolve the safety issues. Only when all the problems are resolved may the operation of the machinery be resumed.
Operators must use machine guarding toolbox talk sessions as a platform to promote hazard reporting and safe communication practices.
5. Lubricate machine parts without removing the safeguard
Many machines are accessed for lubrication purposes without removing safeguards, via oil reservoirs that might be located outside the guard. If access is not possible with the safeguards still in place, the machine must first be switched off and locked out before the guards are removed.
6. Remove machine safeguards after lock-out/tag-out
If safeguards are removed for any reason, such as maintenance or replacement, it must be done after the equipment has been locked out, tagged out, or isolated. It also applies to all machine maintenance, whether scheduled or reactive.
7. Avoid creating new safety hazards, e.g. new pinch points, or object falling into a machine’s moving parts
Hazardous pinch points are mostly found around various types of roller and gear assemblies, couplings, flywheels, spindles, and drive drums. Junctions, their terminals, and convex curves on conveyor belts show nip hazards, and their locations near skirt plates, feed hoppers, and tracking.
Any object, if it is intentionally or accidentally dropped into a machine, can create a new pinch point. Damages to the equipment, as well as injury to the operator, are possible.
8. Always wear PPE – don’t let jewelry, loose clothing, or long hair dangle anywhere near machines
A pinch point is any point where the whole or part of a person’s body is at risk of being caught in machinery.
This doesn’t only mean a machine’s moving parts, but also between its moving and its stationary parts, and again, any part of the machine and other materials.
These include falling objects or materials attached to the machine or materials that fall on the machine operators themselves.
Loose clothing, long hair, or dangling jewelry also constitute a nip hazard. These items can get caught up in the machine’s moving parts and cause additional safety hazards. Employees should wear the required personal protective equipment (PPE) in the workplace, including masks, gloves, glasses, aprons, boots, and hats.
Integrating PPE software into your safety protocols not only enhances compliance with machine guarding regulations but also provides a proactive approach to maintaining a safe working environment.
9. Never walk away from a machine until all the parts have stopped moving
It’s essential to explain and make clear to an employee during training that a machine is not necessarily at rest just because it’s been switched off. Some parts continue to move, such as fans, cooling elements, rollers, gears, and rotating parts, and may constitute hazardous pinch points.
No machine should be left unattended, even if there is any part moving.
10. Ask questions or express concerns about machine safety or working with safeguards to your supervisor
Operators who are in any doubt or have questions regarding safe operations must refer these concerns to their supervisor immediately. They should not attempt to deal with the issue themselves.
Clear safety rules must be communicated to all employees, with disciplinary action for non-compliance. Incorporate machine guarding toolbox talk reminders into weekly routines to build a proactive safety culture.
Effective machine guarding ensures safety and helps maintain OSHA compliance. Conducting regular machine guarding toolbox talks helps prioritize safety and provide a culture of safety. Moreover, it ensures the proper use of machine safety guards and personal protective equipment (PPE). Additionally, implementing strict lockout/tagout procedures and conducting routine machine safety inspections further reduces the risks of serious accidents. For streamlined safety management and compliance support, we are your trusted partner for advanced machine guarding safety and digital safety solutions.
Enhance your safety culture today—visit TECH EHSto learn more about our solutions.
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Educating employees about safety-critical activities, hazardous conditions, and company safety policies and procedures is crucial to safety training.
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