OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH HAZARD STANDARD-DOLE

RULE 1200 MACHINE GUARDING

Crushed hands and arms, severed fingers, blindness - the list of possible machinery-related injuries
is as long as it is horrifying. Safeguards are essential for protecting workers from needless and
preventable injuries.
Rule of Thumb

Any machine part, function or process that may cause injury must be safeguarded. Where the
operation of a machine or accidental contact with it can injure the operator or others in the vicinity,
the hazards must be either eliminated or controlled.
Areas where machine guarding are necessary

Dangerous moving parts in three basic areas require safeguarding:

Other Moving Parts

Point of Operation

Power Transmission
Point of Operation

That part of a working machine at which cutting, shaping, forming or any other necessary operation
is accomplished, and/or that point or location where stock or materials is fed to the machine. A
machine may have more than one point of operation.
Power transmission apparatus:

All components of the mechanical system which transmit energy to the part of the machine
performing the work. These components include flywheels, pulleys, belts, connecting rods,
couplings, cams, spindles, chains, cranks, and gears.
Other moving parts:

All parts of the machine which moves while the machine is working. These can include reciprocating,
rotating, and transverse moving parts, as well as feed mechanism and auxiliary parts of the
machine.

All hazardous parts which move while the machine is working.

Reciprocating
Rotating

Transverse

Feed mechanisms Bed

Steps of Machine Guarding

Machine safeguarding is the application of safety, engineering, work practices and administrative
controls to prevent the injury of employees who operate machines or who are in the vicinity of
machine operations. The primary steps of machine safeguarding include:
1. Recognize the hazards by identifying hazardous actions and motions.

2. Analyze the workplace and prioritize safeguarding efforts based on the most predictable injury, the
probability of occurrence and available resources.

3. Develop and implement a systematic safeguarding program which includes identifying

safeguarding methods, selection and installation.
4. Ensure use of safeguarding and reinforce program by training, education and enforcement.
Requirements of Safeguards

1.Prevent contact: The safeguard must prevent hands, arms, or any part of a worker's body or
clothing from making contact with dangerous moving parts. A good safeguarding system eliminates
the possibility of the operator or other workers placing any part of their bodies near hazardous
moving parts.
2. Secured & well-constructed: Workers should not be able to easily remove or tamper with the
safeguard, because a safeguard that can easily be made ineffective is no safeguard at all. They
must be firmly secured to the machine. Guards should be made of durable material that will
withstand the conditions of normal use. They may be constructed of sheet metal, screen, wire cloth,
bars, plastic, or any other material that is substantial enough to withstand whatever impact it may
receive and to endure prolonged use.
3. Protect from falling objects/contain the hazard: The safeguard should ensure that no objects can
fall into moving parts. A small tool which is dropped into a cycling machine could easily become a
projectile that could strike and injure someone.
4. Create no new hazards: A safeguard defeats its own purpose if it creates a hazard of its own such
as a shear point, a jagged edge, or an unfinished surface which can cause a laceration or creates a
pinch point between the guard and moving machine parts. The edges of guards, for instance, should
be rolled or bolted in such a way that they eliminate sharp edges.

5. Create no interference: Any safeguard which impedes a worker from performing the job quickly
and comfortably might soon be overridden or disregarded. Proper safeguarding can actually
enhance efficiency since it can relieve the worker's apprehensions about injury.
6. Allow safe lubrication: If possible, one should be able to lubricate the machine without removing
the safeguards. Locating oil reservoirs outside the guard, with a line leading to the lubrication point,
will reduce the need for the operator or maintenance worker to enter the hazardous area.
Methods of Machine Safeguarding

• Machine Guards
• Safeguarding Devices
• Location/distance

• Feed mechanisms

• Miscellaneous aids
MACHINE GUARDS

Machine Guards/Guarding
A "guard" prevents entry into the danger area.

There are four types of machine guards:

1. Fixed
2.Interlocked
3. Adjustable
4. Self-adjusting
FIXED GUARD
Fixed guards are usually a permanent part of the machine that prevent access to the danger area.

• Permanent part of the machine

• Not dependent upon moving parts to perform its intended function

• Constructed of sheet metal, screen, wire cloth, bars, plastic or other substantial material.

• Usually preferable to all other types because of its relative simplicity and permanence.
Advantages

• Can be constructed to suit many specific applications

• In-plant construction is often possible

• Can provide maximum protection
• Usually requires minimum maintenance

• Can be suitable to high production, repetitive operations

Interlocked Guards

When this type of guard is opened or removed, the tripping mechanism and/or power automatically
shuts off or disengages, and the machine cannot cycle or be started until the guard is back in place.

• Guards the dangerous part before the machine can be operated.

• Keeps the guard closed until the dangerous part is at rest.

• Prevent operation of the machine if the interlocking device fails

• May use electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, or pneumatic power or any combination of these.
• Should not prevent "inching" by remote control, if required.
• Replacing the guard should not automatically restart the machine.

• All moveable guards must be interlocked to prevent hazards.

Interlocked Guard

This interlocked guard cannot be raised while the machine is running

Advantages
• Can provide maximum protection

•Allows access to the machine for removing jams without time consuming removal of the fixed
guards
Limitations
• Requires careful adjustment and maintenance

• May be easy to disengage

Adjustable Guards

Adjustable guard - a Adjustable Guard On Band Saw fixed guard that is adjustable as a whole or
that incorporates adjustable parts. The adjustment to the Stock C2 Transparent guard remains fixed
during operation.
Advantages

• Can be constructed to suit many specific applications

• Can be adjusted to admit varying sizes of stock
Limitations

• Hands may enter danger area - protection may not be complete at all times
• May require frequent maintenance and/or adjustment

• The guard may be made ineffective by the operator

• May interfere with visibility

Self-adjusting Guards

The openings of these barriers are determined by the movement of the stock. As the operator moves
the stock into the danger area, the guard is pushed away, providing an opening which is only large
enough to admit the stock. After the stock is removed, the guard returns to the rest position. This
guard protects the operator by placing a barrier between the danger area and the operator.
Self-Adjusting Guard on a Jointer: This guard is moved from the cutting head by the stock.

Advantages

• Off-the-shelf guards are often commercially available

Limitations

• Does not always provide maximum protection

• May interfere with visibility

• May require frequent maintenance and adjustment

SAFEGUARDING DEVICES

A safety device may perform one of several functions. It may stop the machine if a hand or any part
of the body is inadvertently placed in the danger area, restrain or withdraw the operator's hands from
the danger area during operation, require the operator to use both hands on machine controls, this
keeping both hands and body out of danger; or provide a barrier which is synchronized with the
operating cycle of the machine in order to prevent entry to the danger area during the hazardous
part of the cycle.
Safeguarding Devices

• Photoelectric presence-sensing
• Radiofrequency
• Electromechanical sensing device

• Pullbacks
• Restraints

• Safety trip controls

• Two-hand controls
• Two-hand trip

• Gates
• Photoelectric presence-sensing

The photoelectric (optical) presence-sensing device uses a system of light sources and controls
which can interrupt the machine's operating cycle. If the light field is broken, the machine stops and
will not cycle. This device must be used only on machines which can be stopped before the worker
can reach the danger area. The design and placement of the guard depends upon the time it takes
to stop the mechanism and the speed at which the employee's hand can reach across the distance
from the guard to the danger zone.
Radiofrequency

The radiofrequency (capacitance) presence-sending device uses a radio beam that is part of the
machine control circuit. When the capacitance field is broken, the machine will stop or will not
activate. Like the photoelectric device, this device shall only be used on machines which can be
stopped before the worker can reach the danger area. This requires the machine to have a friction
clutch or other reliable means for stopping.
Electromechanical

The electromechanical sensing device has a probe or contact bar which descends to a
predetermined distance when the operator initiates the machine cycle. If there is an obstruction
preventing it from descending its full predetermined distance, the control circuit does not actuate the
machine cycle.
Pullback Devices

Pullback devices utilize a series of cables attached to the operator's hands, wrists, and/or arms. This
type of device is primarily used on machines with stroking action. When the slide/ram is up between
cycles, the operator is allowed access to the point of operation. When the slide/ram begins to cycle
by starting its descent, a mechanical linkage automatically assures withdrawal of the hands from the
point of operation.
Advantages
• Eliminates the need for auxiliary barriers or other interferences at the danger area
Limitations

• Limits movement of operator

• May obstruct work space around operator
• Adjustments must be made for specific operations and for each individual
• Requires frequent inspections and regular maintenance

• Requires close supervision of the operator's use of the equipment

Restraint Devices

The restraint (holdout) device in the center figure below uses cables or straps that are attached to
the operator's hands at a fixed point. The cables or straps must be adjusted to let the operator's
hands travel only within a predetermined safe area. There is no extending or retracting action
required because the hands are never allowed to extend into the danger area. Consequently,
handfeeding tools are often necessary if the operation involves placing material into the danger area.
Advantages

• Little risk of mechanical failure

Limitations

• Limits movement of operator

• May obstruct work space

• Adjustments must be made for specific operations and each individual

• Requires close supervision of the operator's use of the equipment
Safety Trip Controls

Safety trip controls provide a quick means for deactivating the machine in an emergency situation. A
pressure-sensitive body bar, when depressed, will deactivate the machine. If the operator or anyone
trips, loses balance, or is drawn toward the machine, applying pressure to the bar will stop the
operation. The positioning of the bar, therefore, is critical. It must stop the machine before a part of
the employee's body reaches the danger area.
Advantages

• Simplicity of use
Limitations

• All controls must be manually activated

• May be difficult to activate controls because of their location Only protects the operator

• May require special fixtures to hold work

• May require a machine brake
Two-Hand Control
The two-hand control requires constant, concurrent pressure by the operator to activate the
machine. This kind of control requires a part-revolution clutch, brake, and a brake monitor if used on
a power press. With this type of device, the operator's hands are required to be at a safe location (on
control buttons) and at a safe distance from the danger area while the machine completes its closing
cycle.
Advantages
• Operator's hands are at a predetermined location

• Operator's hands are free to pick up a new part after first half of the cycle is completed
Limitations

• Requires a partial cycle machine with a brake

• Some two-hand controls can be rendered unsafe by holding with arm or blocking, thereby
permitting one-hand operation

• Protects only the operator

Two-Hand Trip Devices

Two-hand trips are used as a safeguarding device on a full revolution clutch power press only. This
device requires the joint operation of two trigger buttons located away from the "danger zone" of the
press. Activation of the machine stroke requires only a "trip" of the controls whereas a two-hand
control requires continued pressure. The two-hand trip requires the operator hands to be away from
the point of operation to activate the machine stroke.

Two-Hand Trip Device. The operator must push down on both buttons to activate the machine
Advantages

• Operator's hands are away from danger area

• Can be adapted to multiple operations

• No obstruction to hand feeding

• Does not require adjustment for each operation

Limitations

• Operator may try to reach into danger area after tripping machine

• Some trips can be rendered unsafe by holding with arm or blocking, thereby permitting one-hand
operation

• Protects only the operator

• May require special fixtures
Gate Devices

The gate is a moveable barrier that protects the operator at the point of operation before the
machine cycle can be started. Gates are, in many instances, designed to be operated with each
machine cycle. To be effective, the gate must be interlocked so that the machine will not begin a
cycle unless the gate guard is in place. It must be in the closed position before the machine can
function. If the gate is not permitted to descend to the fully closed position, the press will not
function.
Advantages

• Can prevent reaching into or walking into the danger area

Limitations

• May require frequent inspection and regular maintenance

• May interfere with operator's ability to see the work
SAFEGUARDING BY LOCATION

Machine Safeguarding by Location and Distance

To consider a part of a machine to be machine safeguarded by location, the dangerous moving part
of a machine must be positioned so that those areas are not accessible or do not present a hazard
to a worker during the normal operation of the machine.
This can be accomplished in two ways:

• Locating a machine so that the hazardous parts of the machine are located away from operator
work stations or other areas where employees walk or work.
• Positioning a machine with its power transmission apparatus against a wall and leaving all routine
operations conducted on the other side of the machine.
MISCELLANEOUS AIDS

Special hand tools may be used to place or remove stock, particularly from or into the point of
operation of a machine. A typical use would be for Feeding reaching into the danger area of a press
or press brake. The figure on the left, below, shows an assortment of tools for this purpose. Holding
tools should not be used instead of other machine guards; they are merely a supplement to the
protection that other guards provide.
A push sticks or block, such as those in the figure below may be used when feeding stock into a saw
blade. When it becomes necessary for hands to be in close proximity to the blade, the push stick or
block may provide a few inches of safety and prevent a severe injury. The figure shows how the
push stick works by fitting over the fence.
MACHINE SAFETY TIPS
11 - Machine safety tips

1. Ensure proper guarding on the machines, like your table saw, cut off saw, cutting machine,
circular saw, etc. Any machine part, function, or process that might cause injury should be
safeguarded. The guard protects employees from dangers such as rotating parts, flying chips and
sparks.

2.Use machinery only when certified: If you are not trained and certified to use a particular machine,
please do not use it. By using a machine as an un-trained operator, you are endangering yourself
and other workers working close by you.

3.Use safe clothing: Especially when working with a rotating wheel, wearing loose fitted clothing
could be very risky because your cloth can be trapped by the machine, drawing you in.
4. Avoid using long and loosed hairs, it could also be trapped.

5. Use relevant PPE when working with any machinery. For example, you need your hand gloves
when using a jumping jack. The hand gloves can help you to avoid developing vibration white finger
(WWF); also you will need your ear muff when using a cut off saw. Always use relevant PPE
6. Never leave the machine un-attended, if you do, you are creating an opportunity for un-authorized
use of the machine.

7. Avoid using jewelry around machines.

8. Never interfere with moving or operating equipment: Use of machines needs high level of
concentration, any form of distraction should be avoided as much as possible.
9. Ensure timely inspection of all machinery before, during and after use.

10. Never attempt to alter the machine to carry out a particular function if they were not designed for
such.

11. Never manage faulty machinery. Report all faulty machinery to the responsible person for further
action to be taken.