Machine safety starts with machine guarding

While talking about machine safety, the most basic hazard considered in a machine is Moving machine parts. Moving parts have the potential to cause severe workplace injuries, such as crushed fingers or hands, amputations, burns, or blindness. Amputations, lacerations, and abrasions are costly and have the potential to increase workers' compensation premiums.

Due to this fact, in every safety compliance be it ISO, ANSI or BIS all have established a set of standards around machine guarding. The purpose of machine guarding is to protect the machine operator and other employees in the work area from hazards created during the machine's normal operation. This would include hazards of concern such as: ingoing nip points, rotating parts, reciprocating, transversing, and/or flying chips & sparks.

Any machine part, function, or process that might cause injury must be safeguarded. When the operation of a machine or accidental contact with it could injure the operator or others in the vicinity, the hazards must be either controlled or eliminated.

Yes, a machine guard is not a guard if it can't guard against the following hazards:

Contact

A machine guard should prevent the operator's body from coming into contact with dangerous moving parts, hot or cold surfaces, harmful fluids, and other hazardous materials.

Tampering

A machine guard should be secure and made of durable material so that operators can't easily remove or tamper with it.

New hazards

A machine guard should not create new hazards, such as sharp edges, pinch points, or unfinished surfaces.

Interference

A machine guard should not prevent the operator from performing their job quickly and comfortably.

Lubrication

If possible, the machine should be able to be lubricated without removing the guards.?

Machine guards are a mandatory requirement for all machinery.?However, machine guarding is only one part of creating a safe work environment.?Employees should be aware of the machine and themselves at all times, and operators should be instructed on how and when to remove guards.?

Brigs M&P Safety

At Brigs Espro Services Pvt Ltd with our #M&P Safety platform we provide end to services to provide man and machine safety across the life cycle of the machine. With our experienced and qualified risk experts we can help you to implement end to end solution i.e. risk audit, safety interlocks, trapped key interlocks and smart loto management.