Machines account for hundreds of injuries in the workplace every year. For this reason, employees must secure machines to prevent them from causing injuries and fatalities.

No I’m not talking about using tagout, lockout and blockout procedures here. Instead, I’d like to discuss the importance of machine guards in the workplace. While tagout, lockout and blockout procedures are needed for disabled or unused equipment, machine guards save as your protection for equipment while they’re in use.

Two Companies with Common Violations

Just today, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited two companies each for multiple alleged violations. The first one is Flanagan Design and Display, Inc., a manufacturer of sheet metal, wires and other types of displays in Albany, New York. This company is now facing 28 alleged willful, serious and other-than-serous citations.

The other is Pepsi-Cola in New Jersey, which is cited for three willful citations. While the two currently face different citations and penalties, both are cited for inadequate use of guards as their alleged violation.

Machine Guard Basics

So what are machine guards basically? What are they made of? How do they protect employees from getting hit, cut, burned, or crushed by machines?

Machine guards are tangible materials used to keep employees from having direct contact with a machine’s moving parts. Some guards help protect you from kickbacks, flying chips and splashing liquids.

Guards may be in the form of sheet, woven or expanded mesh steel. Some machine guards may be made of wood. This is usually the case in chemical or wood manufacturing industries, or operations that involve chemicals that might corrode metal.

The following are some examples of equipment or machines that require the use of guards:

• Chains, gears, pulleys, cranks, sprockets, and connecting rods
• Rope, belt and chain drives
• Projecting shaft ends
• Transmission shafts
• Flywheels
• Belt tighteners
• Portable saws
• Portable belt sanders
• Portable grinders
• Pneumatic tools
• Powder actuated tools
• Openings for frequent oiling

Types of Machine Guards

These are the two types of guards that protect machine operators from injuries:

• Fixed guards

…protect you from hazardous parts of machines at ALL times

…may be adjusted only by authorized personnel.

• Interlocking guards

…used only if using a fixed guard is not practical or feasible

…do not allow machines to operate until hazardous parts are guarded

Sometimes, though, using either fixed guards or interlocking guards is not practical. In such cases, devices like sweeps, pullbacks, and electronic devices must be used.

General Safety Measures

Here are important things to remember when using guards in your workplace:

• Guards must always be secured to the machine.

• Guards must never be positioned or fastened to moving parts in a way that creates a pinch point.

• Fasteners used to secure guards to a machine must require the use of tools for their removal.

• All guards must be rigidly braced every 3 ft. or less to a fixed part of a structure or machine.

• Guardrails must be at least 42 in. high with a clearance of at least 15 in., but not more than 20 in. from the machine.

• Toeboards must be at least 4 in. in height.

Remember, with a combination of the use of machine guards, tagout, blockout and lockout procedures, right PPE and proper training of employees in machine operations, you don’t have to worry about machine-related accidents in your workplace.

Related Links:

Lockout Tagout Basics : Machinery Tags (When Absence Means Trouble)

What You Need to Know about Lockout, Blockout and Tagout

Top 10 OSHA Fines for Small Companies

Top 7 Tips on Using the 2006 Census to Improve Workplace Safety