Machine Guarding Essentials For Workplace Safety
In any industry where heavy machinery is used, the moving parts of the machines present numerous health and safety hazards that potentially put the operator's life in danger. Machine guarding is the process of safeguarding machine parts, functions and processes that may cause injuries to the machine operator. The following information can help in the process of safeguarding machinery according to the required standards.
Types of Machines
Nearly every industry relies on machines to run its operations. Hand and power tools also require safeguarding, particularly those used in the construction industry. These include drills, jack-levers, air receivers, power saws and many others. This means that any place that uses machines needs to meet certain safety standards, whether it is a bakery, a machine shop in an academic institution, a carpentry workshop or an electronics repair shop. As long as machines are used, whether in a small scale or large scale business, safeguarding is required.
Where Machine Guarding is Needed
There are 3 main areas where safeguarding is required, and these are the areas where most injuries occur when operating the machine. These are at the point of operation, the power transmission equipment, and the moving parts of the machine.
Point of operation refers to the area where the work is done on the machine, so this includes cutting, shaping, mixing, shearing or punching holes into the materials. Power transmission refers to all the parts of the machinery that transmit energy to the point of operation, such as pulleys, conveyer belts, cranks, chains and gears. Other moving parts are those which move while the machine is working, such as feed mechanisms and rotating parts. At all these points accidents may happen, so each part of the machine system should be safeguarded.
Minimum Machine Safeguarding Requirements
Given the above areas and activities that may be dangerous to machine operators, there are many ways of safeguarding the machinery depending on its function and operator. Here is a breakdown of the basic requirements for using safeguards on machinery.
• Prevention of contact- the safeguard used on the machine should prevent the operator from making contact with the moving parts. The operator's head, hands, arms, legs, feet or other parts must not touch the machine's dangerous parts.
• Protection from falling objects- the safeguard used should keep falling objects such as small tools from falling into the machine's moving parts as they can become projectiles that can injure others.
• Allowance for safe lubrication- the safeguard used should ideally allow for the operators to lubricate the machine without removing the safeguard. It is best to have an oil reservoir leading directly to the lubrication point so that operators need not come near the moving parts.
• No interference- the safeguard used should not obstruct or prevent the operator from using the machine efficiently. Any interference caused by the safeguard may cause the operator to remove or override it, thus causing even greater hazards.
Along with these machine guarding requirements, machine operators must also use the appropriate protective clothing while operating the equipment to maximize on safety. Operators must also be trained on how to use the machines with the safeguards, thus creating a safe work environment.