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Have You Really Trained Your Machine Operators (Jul/Aug-24)
Eye Safety & Safety Glasses (Jan/Feb-24)
Protecting Employees When Performing Machine Operations (Nov/Dec-23)
Protecting Students from Machine Hazards (Jul/Aug-23)
Electrical Safety (May/Jun-23)
Machine Guarding (Jan/Feb-23)
Have We Learned Anything About Safety Over the Last Fifty Years? (Nov/Dec-22)
OSHA Annouces 2021 Top 10 Frequently Cited Standards (Sep/Oct-22)
Have You Conducted Your Periodic Lockout & Tagout Audit? (Jan/Feb-22)
Workplace Violence (Jul/Aug-21)
Do You or Your Supervisors Really Care About Worker Safety? (May/Jun-21)
Creating A Safety Culture (Nov/Dec-20)
Before You Purchase New Machinery (Sep/Oct-20)
Do You or Your Supervisors Really Care About Worker Safety? (May/Jun-20)
OSHA Issues Interim Guidance to Help Prevent Worker Exposure to Coronavirus (COVID-19) (Mar/Apr-20)
Have You Recently Conducted Your Required Safety & Health Program Audits? (Nov/Dec-19)
Does OSHA Cite Employers Equally? (May/Jun-19)
Are You Ready For The New Year? (Mar/Apr-19)
Creating a Safety Culture Means Staying Informed (Nov/Dec-18)
Safe Lifting Techniques (Sep/Oct-18)
Are Your Machines Safe to Operate? (Jul/Aug-18)
Do You Know How Old Your Tires Really Are? (Jan/Feb-18)
Risk Assessment & Premise Liability Insurance (Nov/Dec-17)
Forklift Safety – You Can Save A Life Today (Sep/Oct-17)
Protect Your Employees from Heat Stress Related Injuries (Jul/Aug-17)
Lockout-Tagout from a Manager’s Perspective (May/Jun-17)
Do Your Employees Really Know How to Use Personal Protective Equipment? (Mar/Apr-17)
OSHA & Lockout/Tagout (Nov/Dec-16)
OSHA Increases Their Penalties Towards Employers (Jul/Aug-16)
Do You Know What Your Experience Modification Rate Is? (May/Jun-16)
Machine Safety (Sep/Oct-15)
Lockout, Tagout & Tryout – Are You in Compliance? (Jul/Aug-15)
Forklift Safety Practices (May/Jun-15)
Using the Right Power Saw to Cut Plastic Materials (Mar/Apr-15)
OSHA & Machine Safeguarding (Jan/Feb-15)
Ergonomics (Sep/Oct-14)
Respiratory Protection . . . Does Your Program Protect? (May/Jun-14)
First Aid Program (Mar/Apr-14)
Working with Composite Materials Safely and Preventing Dermatitis (Jan/Feb-14)
Preventing Winter Slips, Trips and Falls (Nov/Dec-13)
The Globally Harmonized System for Hazard Communication – Are You Ready For It? (Sep/Oct-13)
Safety & New Employee Orientation (Jul/Aug-13)
Liquefied Petroleum Gas Safety (May/Jun-13)
Posting of OSHA Notices (Jan/Feb-13)
Staying Safe This Winter (Nov/Dec-12)
Personal Protection - Storage, Maintenance and Care (Sep/Oct-12)
Machine Safeguarding (Jul/Aug-12)
Is Your Lockout & Tagout Program Working? (May/Jun-12)
Getting Familiar with OSHA (Mar/Apr-12)
Is Your Piping Systems Properly Marked? (Jan/Feb-12)
Accident Prevention, Does Your Company Have An Effective Program? (Nov/Dec-11)
Defining FR – Flame Resistant Fabrics (Jul/Aug-11)
OSHA's Flammable & Combustible Liquids (May/Jun-11)
Safety & Health Program Check-up (Jan/Feb-11)
OSHA Is My Friend (Nov/Dec-10)
OSHA Standard for Control of Hazardous Energy Sources? (Sep/Oct-10)
Lockout/Tagout Program (Jul/Aug-10)
Safe Handling of Compressed Gas Cylinders (May/Jun-10)
What You Should Know about OSHA and Plastic Working Machinery (Mar/Apr-10)
Fasten Those Forklift Seat Belts (Jan/Feb-10)
My Back Hurts (Nov/Dec-09)
Fall Protection Program (Sep/Oct-09)
Accident Prevention & Investigation (Jul/Aug-09)
OSHA & Machine Safeguarding (May/Jun-09)
Carbon Monoxide Hazards (Mar/Apr-09)
OSHA Electrical Safety and Training (Jan/Feb-09)
Free Forklift ANSI Standards (Nov/Dec-08)
Worksite Fire Emergencies (Sep/Oct-08)
Machine Safety (Jul/Aug-08)
Ladder Safety (May/Jun-08)
Is Your Company on OSHA's Hit List?
OSHA Notifies Workplaces with High Injury and Illness Rates (Mar/Apr-08)
Safety Means . . . Never Having to Say You're Sorry (Jan/Feb-08)
Flammables and Combustible Liquids (Nov/Dec-07)
Designing-In Safety NOT Retrofitting Safety (Sep/Oct-07)
Back Safety and Lifting (Jul/Aug-07)
Machine Guarding (May/Jun-07)
Your Hearing Keep it for a Lifetime (Mar/Apr-07)
Light Up the Holidays the Safe Way (Nov/Dec-06)
Would You Risk Your Employee's Life? (Sep/Oct-06)
How to Control Workers' Compensation Costs (Jul/Aug-06)
Compliance with 70E Electrical Standards (May/Jun-06)
OSHA Is on the Move (Mar/Apr-06)
Workplace Violence (Jan/Feb-06)
The Aging Workforce (Nov/Dec-05)
The Safety Paradox (Sep/Oct-05)
Machine Guarding (Jul/Aug-05)
Effective Risk Management (May/Jun-05)
Safety Is Everyone's Business (Mar/Apr-05)
New Year's Resolution Safety (Jan/Feb-05)
Safe Driving (Nov/Dec-04)
Terror In The Skies Revisited (Sep/Oct-04)
How They Got Hurt (Jul/Aug-04)
In-Plant Air Monitoring & Analysis (May/Jun-04)
Safety on the Job and Complying with the Americans With Disabilities Act (Mar/Apr-04)
Link to Article Archive (Jan/Feb-04)
A Supervisor's Duty (Nov/Dec-03)
Machine Safety – Are Your Machines Safe to Operate? (Sep/Oct-03)
Summer is Here (Jul/Aug-03)
Working Safely On Powered Industrial Trucks (Forklifts) (May/Jun-03)
Does Your Safety and Health Workplace Program Contain All of These Elements? (Mar/Apr-03)
Methylene Chloride (Jan/Feb-03)
Safety Signs & Labels - Does Your Facility Comply? (Nov/Dec-02)
Indoor Air Quality (Sep/Oct-02)
When OSHA Arrives (Jul/Aug-02)
Facts About the Occupation Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) (May/Jun-02)
Workplace Fire Safety (Mar/Apr-02)
OSHA 300 Form (Jan/Feb-02)
Preparing for Disaster (Nov/Dec-01)
How Much is a Life Worth? (Sep/Oct-01)
Material Handling Programs (Jul/Aug-01)
It's Up To You To Protect Your Skin (May/Jun-01)
When You’ve Been Handed the Responsibility for Safety (Mar/Apr-01)
A Fresh Look at Machine Safeguarding (Jan/Feb-01)
Safe Work Habits (Nov/Dec-00)
The Importance of Material Safety Data Sheets (Sep/Oct-00)
Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (Jul/Aug-00)
Lockout/Tagout Program (May/Jun-00)
OSHA Violations, Citations and Penalties for 1998 (Mar/Apr-00)
Erogonomics and Machinery Safeguarding (Jan/Feb-00)
General Machine Principles (Nov/Dec-99)
SAFETY SOLUTIONS
Select issue:


SAFETY SOLUTIONS: Are Your Machines Safe to Operate?

For the first time in the history of OSHA, the citing of machinery for not having proper safeguarding, which would include items like emergency stops (red in color with a yellow background), power outage protection, machine guards that use fasteners not readily removed by the operators and other items like training and machine maintenance have now received a special emphasis from the government. According to OSHA statistics for calendar year October 1, 2017 through July 10, 2018 OSHA cited the following:

  • Hazard Communication Standard (lock out written program) — 1,994 citations
  • Machine Safeguarding, type of guarding — 1501 citations
  • Hazard Communication - information — 863 citations
  • Machine Guarding - point of operation guarding — 839 citations
  • First aid emergency eye wash and showers — 826 citations
  • Guarding floor openings, platforms and runways — 760 citations
  • Hazard Communication - lack of training — 759 citations
  • Electrical Wiring methods and equipment — 726 citations
  • Lockout and Tagout - establishment of an energy control program — 721 citations
  • Lockout and Tagout - written energy training program — 672 citations

Is machine safeguarding a new issue with the regulatory agencies? No, however, one of the main problems in machine safety is that many old machines were built without adequate guards and these machines are still in existence and utilized on a daily basis. Does a manufacturer have a responsibility to go back and find these machines and repair them? Many think they do. Does the owner of the machine have the expertise to properly guard a machine? Some do, most do not.

Too many times employers try and do the right thing by trying to save a little money and assign an employee to design, build and guard a machine. Although these employees believe that they have the expertise in the field of machine safeguarding, many do not. Therefore, they design guards that create an additional hazard in themselves or do not eliminate the hazard. This ends up exposing the company to higher liabilities and a waste of company resources (people), materials and money.

Accidents involving machinery with poor or non-existent guards are common because of human nature. When accidents occur, the manufacturers, owners, supervisors and other employees that were not injured by the machine, say that the employee knew or should have known not to stick their hand in the work area; that it was dangerous, that it was hazardous. They say it was the operator’s own fault, and that the guard reduces the utility of the machine - that the guard diminishes safety because the operators rely on it for protection. Many times, you hear this statement when trying to have a guard put on a machine:

“I have operated that machine for the last 20 years (always in increments of 5) and I have not been injured yet.”

Operator error? Rarely was the injury to the employee caused by operator error alone. By using proper accident investigation techniques, the investigator will uncover that the real cause of the accident had many contributing factors and unless these are eliminated this accident can, and probably will, occur again and again.

As students of human behavior, we know that the employee did not stick their hand in the machine for the first 10,000 repetitions, but only on the 10,001 repetitions. At this time the employee was not as quick, was thinking of something else or lost their balance and fell into the machine losing their hand or several fingers.

Repetitious activity soon breeds inattention and a dulling of the obvious and vicious nature of the hazard. Inattention, familiarity, distraction and poor design are some causes of accidents. The best employee in the world will, on occasion, be day-dreaming or worrying about something at home and put their hand where it shouldn’t be. This is the purpose of the guard. It must prevent the injury on this one occasion. If it is properly designed, it will do so.

In today’s world, we use electronic devices to protect operators from the hazard of reaching into the danger zone. We have a tendency to say that the machine is now properly guarded. In reality, if there is a remote possibility that a part or fixture can break and fly out of the machine and strike someone, then the machine was not properly guarded. If a person can reach over, under, around or through, then the machine was not properly guarded. If a person can remove a guard because it did not use the proper fasteners in its design or was not interlocked to prevent or limit the machine motion, then this machine was not properly guarded. If the guard uses fasteners that are easily removed by the operator without the authorized person using a special tool, then it was not the right guarding design.

If we base safety of the operator on OSHA machine guarding regulations, then we have potentially exposed an employee to an undesirable risk. An example of this statement is the use of a belt or disc sanding machine to grind or finish metal.

This machine was designed by the manufacturer to be used to finish a wood product. It was designed using an American National Standards Institute standard titled O1.1 safety requirement for woodworking machinery. This machine is recognized in the OSHA standard 29 CFR 1910.213 as specific for woodworking machinery and even here one can find a conflict with OSHA’s own standard.

OSHA states that the unused portion of the sanding belt must be guarded but in the sanding disc portion of the same set of 29 CFR 1910.213 standards, OSHA states the revolving disc above the table does not have to be guarded. Confusing? Yes, in reality there is only one OSHA regulation for machinery. This standard is the catchall for all machinery. 29 CFR 1910.212 (a)(1) states the following: “One or more methods of machine guarding shall be used to protect the operator and other employees in the machine area from hazards created by point of operation, ingoing nip points, rotating parts, flying chips and sparks.” To ensure that your machine is safe to operate conduct a risk assessment to identify and eliminate the potential for injury.

Machine Guarding Questions
Like many other problems identified by audits, first comes the shock factor:

Q: Why did the manufacturer build it that way?

A: Many manufacturers today are not trained in all the regulations that apply to machinery. Many manufacturers of machinery do not follow American National Standards Institute (ANSI) consensus standards or National Electrical Codes (NEC).

Q: Why did the purchasing department buy it that way?

A: Many people who purchase equipment do not know the regulations themselves and usually there is no program in place to inspect the machinery prior to having it shipped to the location. Then it is too late. The success of a machine-guarding program is in the heart of good bid specifications.

Q: Why didn’t the facility or maintenance group inspect the machine before installing it, or why wasn’t it caught during routine maintenance?

A: Many companies do not have the owners/operator’s manuals and thus may not have seen that the point of operation guard is usually considered an accessory to the machine.

Q: Why didn’t the safety professional or the person responsible for ensuring that the machine met the intent of the standards prior to purchasing the machine see the potential problems?

A: Many do not have the expertise in machine safety or in conducting risk assessments and just sign off on the documents without trying to contact anyone to ensure that it meets the standards. A good example of this statement is purchasing a small piece of machinery that does not have power outage protection.

Q: The best one is this statement: “Well, OSHA has been or was here and they did not cite the machine”.

A: Believe it or not, even OSHA inspectors may not possess the required expertise to inspect the machine. Many inspectors have only received a one-week course in machine safeguarding and they too walk by hazards allowing some poor operator to be completely exposed to a serious injury. In today’s world of potential litigation, OSHA inspectors can and have been sued for not bringing the hazard to the employer’s attention if an employee was injured.

To find out more about what OSHA requires or how they interpret an OSHA machine guarding standard, visit OSHA’s website at www.OSHA.gov then research the documents located in the Directive section of that website. OSHA has also established a training program on this subject and it can be found in the E-tools section of the site.

Machine safeguarding is a paramount issue for employers, employees and home craftspeople. Think SAFETY the next time you operate powered machinery. If you have any questions, you can e-mail me at johnpodojil@msn.com.

For more information, click on the author biography at the top of the page.

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