Machine Guarding Facts

Below are some facts about machine guarding safety courtesy of  Rockford Systems.

  • In 2007, machine guarding was the 9th most common OSHA citation with 2,054 violations.
  • In 2008, machine guarding was the 8th most common OSHA citation with 2,138 violations. 
  • In 2009, machine guarding was the 10th most common OSHA citation with 2,364 violations.
  • From 2001-2006, there were 1,648,637 machinery-related injuries in the United States.
  • There are over 3,000 amputations per year in the manufacturing sector.

OSHA’s take on machine guarding

  • Under their 1910.217 regulation, OSHA will often cite a mechanical power press if the key is left in the mode selector switch.
  • OSHA requires a “working space depth” of 36″- 48″ in front of electrical enclosures to allow enough space to fully open the door.
  • OSHA and ANSI put the final responsibility for Machine Safeguarding on the employer even if not provided by the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM).
  • A Risk Assessment must be done to determine the safety category of interlock required for a given guarding situation.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 11th, 2010 at 7:45 am and is filed under Safety Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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