Machine Guarding in Manufacturing

1. Guarding of equipment can protect employees from multiple exposures including struck-by injuries, amputations, and fatalities.

2. Guards are put in place to prevent injuries from moving equipment by blocking physical contact. Employees that work around equipment that have guards in place should be trained on why the guards are there to prevent exposures.

3. 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 in the facility.

4. Signage is one way to alert those in the area that guarding is present and no physical contact should be attempted. Make sure that signage in your working area is legible and located in eyesight.

5. Hand injuries are one of the top injuries in manufacturing and the most common injury when discussing guarding.

6. However, drag-in injuries can be fatal. Be aware of rotating equipment, where guards are required, work zones to avoid, and do not wear loose clothing that can catch in a rotating point of operation.

7. While guards protect from the point of operations, they should be hard to remove, whether they are fixed or adjustable. However, other shutdown options like sensors and safety trip controls, are usually added in addition to guards and can shut off equipment.

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

9. 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.

10. Usually this type of equipment can be loud, so hearing protection against noise is to be considered.

11. What equipment will you be working on today that has a machine guard? What is the point of operation?

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