Machine Guarding in Agriculture

1. Guarding moving parts on equipment can protect employees from injuries by blocking physical contact.

2. A "point of operation" is where a rotating or moving part is where the work is being performed on the material processed. Employees should recognize where each point of operation is on equipment.

3. Hand injuries are one of the top injuries in agriculture and the most common injury when talking about guarding.

4. Drag-in injuries can be fatal. Be aware of rotating equipment and do not wear loose clothing that can catch in a rotating point of operation.

5. When servicing equipment that has moving parts, follow lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures.

6. When working around equipment that has guards, eye protection is important to prevent struck-by injuries. Protect your hands by wearing gloves, but you should never reach into a machine unless it is properly locked out.

7. Equipment can be loud, so hearing protection against noise is to be considered.

8. Choppers, mixing augers, feed rolls, conveying augers, grain spreaders, sweep augers, and feed augers are all examples of equipment that will have guards on moving parts.

9. Guards must stay in place during operation at all times. The only time a guard should be removed is during maintenance or repairs.

10. What are some examples of equipment and machinery that we use, and what parts need to be guarded?

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