Machine Guarding for OSHA Compliance: Standards, Regulations & Benefits
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Safety First
Whatever your industry and whatever tools you use to get the job done, every workplace has one thing in common: the most important thing at the end of every day is the health and safety of its employees and workers.
If you work in an industry dependent on heavy machinery with multiple moving components, part of keeping your workers healthy is keeping them safeguarded from any potentially dangerous equipment.
OSHA's Machine Guarding Standards
The Federal government’s Occupational Health and Safety Administration, or OSHA, establishes that workers have a positive right to a safe work environment, and lays out specific guidelines to keep workers safe from injury and harm as a result of dangerous machine equipment.
In addition to proper maintenance of all equipment and training for all workers, OSHA requires that any “machine part, function, or process that may cause injury must be safeguarded.” This can mean any number of things, and unique requirements are in place for specific machines and industries. Generally speaking, OSHA’s regulations are in place to protect workers from dangerous points of operation, ingoing nip points, rotating parts, and projectile chips/sparks. These requirements can be met by anything from a handle guard on a handheld power tool to automatic kill switches on larger machines (automatic guards).
Basically, a machine guard meets OSHA’s regulations if it adequately protects workers and their extremities, is securely fixed, does not present safety hazards of its own, and allows for easy equipment operation. This allows for a fair degree of customization to suit the needs of your specific workplace in terms of size, space, and functionality, while still meeting OSHA’s requirements.
The Benefits of mk's Perimeter Guards
A common form of machine guarding is what’s called a barrier guard, perimeter guard, or fixed guard. Common on power presses and other large machines, barrier guards prevent entry of workers access to machines or hazardous points. This can be a small cage fixed to a machine’s frame, or a full perimeter guard surrounding the whole unit.
For a simple, versatile machine guarding solution, consider extruded aluminum enclosures and guards from mk North America. Available in prefabricated or custom engineered options, these guards protect workers by enclosing dangerous machinery completely.
The benefits of extruded aluminum machine guarding from mk are multifold, including the price-effectiveness of aluminum, easy installation with no cutting or welding required, and easy modification and reuse potential. Rather than spending needless time and money on a heavy, permanent guarding apparatus that might be obsolete next time you upgrade your equipment or move your location, mk’s guarding solutions are light and versatile enough to give you the maximum value for your investment while protecting your workers and avoiding costly OSHA non-compliance fines.
Learn More
Use the following links to learn more about mk North America’s machine and perimeter guarding solutions, as well as OSHA’s guarding standards. Then use this easy contact form to get a consultation today.
mk Easy Guard Perimeter Guards
mk Extruded Aluminum Enclosures
OSHA Website – Machine Guarding Standards