BASICS OF MACHINE SAFEGUARDING
Introduction
Crushed hands and arms, severed fingers, blindness — the list of possible machinery-related injuries is as long as it is horrifying. There seem to be as many hazards created by moving machine parts as there are types of machines. Safeguards are essential for protecting workers from needless and preventable injuries.
A good rule to remember is: Any machine part, function, or process which may cause injury must be safeguarded. When the operation of a machine or accidental contact with it can injure the operator or others in the vicinity, the hazards must be either controlled or eliminated.
This course describes the various hazards of mechanical motion and presents some techniques for protecting workers from these hazards. General information covered in this chapter includes — where mechanical hazards occur, the hazards created by different kinds of motions and the requirements for effective safeguards, as well as a brief discussion of non-mechanical hazards.
Where Mechanical Hazards Occur
Dangerous moving parts in three basic areas require safeguarding:
The point of operation: that point where work is performed on the material, such as cutting, shaping, boring, or forming of stock.
Power transmission apparatus: all components of the mechanical system which transmit energy to the part of the machine performing the work. These components include flywheels, pulleys, belts, connecting rods, couplings, cams, spindles, chains, cranks, and gears.
Other moving parts: all parts of the machine which move while the machine is working. These can include reciprocating, rotating, and transverse moving parts, as well as feed mechanisms and auxiliary parts of the machine.
Hazardous Mechanical Motions and Actions
A wide variety of mechanical motions and actions may present hazards to the worker. These can include the movement of rotating members, reciprocating arms, moving belts, meshing gears, cutting teeth, and any parts that impact or shear. These different types of hazardous mechanical motions and actions are basic in varying combinations to nearly all machines, and recognizing them is the first step toward protecting workers from the danger they present.
The basic types of hazardous mechanical motions and actions are:
Motions
- rotating (including in-running nip points)
- reciprocating
- transversing
Actions
- cutting
- punching
- shearing
- bending
Motions
Rotating motion can be dangerous; even smooth, slowly rotating shafts can grip clothing, and through mere skin contact force an arm or hand into a dangerous position. Injuries due to contact with rotating parts can be severe.
Collars, couplings, cams, clutches, flywheels, shaft ends, spindles, meshing gears, and horizontal or vertical shafting are some examples of common rotating mechanisms which may be hazardous. The danger increases when projections such as set screws, bolts, nicks, abrasions, and projecting keys or set screws are exposed on rotating parts, as shown in the figure to the right.
In-running nip point hazards are caused by the rotating parts on machinery. There are three main types of in-running nips.
Parts can rotate in opposite directions while their axes are parallel to each other. These parts may be in contact (producing a “nip point”) or in close proximity. In the latter case the stock fed between the rolls produces the nip points. This danger is common on machines with intermeshing gears, rolling mills, and calendars. See the figure to the left.
Nip points are also created between rotating and tangentially moving parts. Some examples would be: the point of contact between a power transmission belt and its pulley, a chain and a sprocket, and a rack and pinion. See figure to the right.
Big idea: Kevin K., one of our students, uses the term, “Blood Points” instead of pinch, nip, or crush points, as a meaningful deterrent, and not a temptation, because it reminds employees of the immediate consequence – a lot of blood. He’s experienced in machining, and knows enough about machines to understand that machines do not think, have a lot of force, and they do not stop. The result is typically a fatal amount of blood, so he keeps his hands away from the “Blood Points” for the obvious reasons. You may want to use this idea to help your employees remember the dangers associated with machines in motion.
Rotating and fixed parts
Nip points can occur between rotating and fixed parts which create a shearing, crushing, or abrading action. Examples are: spoked handwheels or flywheels, screw conveyors, or the periphery of an abrasive wheel and an incorrectly adjusted work rest. See figure the to the right.
Reciprocating motions may be hazardous because, during the back-and-forth or up-and-down motion, a worker may be struck by or caught between a moving and a stationary part. See the figure immediately to the left for an example of a reciprocating motion.
Transverse motion
Transverse motion (movement in a straight, continuous line) creates a hazard because a worker may be struck or caught in a pinch or shear point by the moving part. See figure to the right.
Actions
Cutting Action
Cutting action may involve rotating, reciprocating, or transverse motion. The danger of cutting action exists at the point of operation where finger, arm and body injuries can occur and where flying chips or scrap material can strike the head, particularly in the area of the eyes or face. Such hazards are present at the point of operation in cutting wood, metal, or other materials.
Examples of mechanisms involving cutting hazards include band saws, circular saws, boring or drilling machines, turning machines (lathes), or milling machines. See figure to the right.
Punching Action
Punching action results when power is applied to a slide (ram) for the purpose of blanking, drawing, or stamping metal or other materials. The danger of this type of action occurs at the point of operation where stock is inserted, held, and withdrawn by hand.
Typical machines used for punching operations are power presses and iron workers. See figure to the left.
Shearing Action
Shearing action involves applying power to a slide or knife in order to trim or shear metal or other materials. A hazard occurs at the point of operation where stock is actually inserted, held, and withdrawn.
Examples of machines used for shearing operations are mechanically, hydraulically, or pneumatically powered shears. See figure to the right.
Bending action results when power is applied to a slide in order to draw or stamp metal or other materials. A hazard occurs at the point of operation where stock is inserted, held, and withdrawn.
Equipment that uses bending action includes power presses, press brakes, and tubing benders. See Figure below.
Requirements for Safeguards
- What must a safeguard do to protect workers against mechanical hazards? Safeguards must meet these minimum general requirements:
- Prevent contact: The safeguard must prevent hands, arms, and any other part of a worker’s body from making contact with dangerous moving parts. A good safeguarding system eliminates the possibility of the operator or another worker placing parts of their bodies near hazardous moving parts.
- Secure: Workers should not be able to easily remove or tamper with the safeguard, because a safeguard that can easily be made ineffective is no safeguard at all. Guards and safety devices should be made of durable material that will withstand the conditions of normal use. They must be firmly secured to the machine.
- Protect from falling objects: The safeguard should ensure that no objects can fall into moving parts. A small tool which is dropped into a cycling machine could easily become a projectile that could strike and injure someone.
- Create no new hazards: A safeguard defeats its own purpose if it creates a hazard of its own such as a shear point, a jagged edge, or an unfinished surface which can cause a laceration. The edges of guards, for instance, should be rolled or bolted in such a way that they eliminate sharp edges.
- Create no interference: Any safeguard which impedes a worker from performing the job quickly and comfortably might soon be overridden or disregarded. Proper safeguarding can actually enhance efficiency since it can relieve the worker’s apprehensions about injury.
- Allow safe lubrication: If possible, one should be able to lubricate the machine without removing the safeguards. Locating oil reservoirs outside the guard, with a line leading to the lubrication point, will reduce the need for the operator or maintenance worker to enter the hazardous area.
Non-Mechanical Hazards
While this course concentrates attention on concepts and techniques for safeguarding mechanical motion, machines obviously present a variety of other hazards which cannot be ignored. Full discussion of these matters is beyond the scope of this course, but some non-mechanical hazards are briefly mentioned below to remind you of things other than safeguarding moving parts that can affect the safe operation of machines.
All power sources for machines are potential sources of danger.
When using electrically powered or controlled machines, for instance, the equipment as well as the electrical system itself must be properly grounded. Replacing frayed, exposed, or old wiring will also help to protect the operator and others from electrical shocks or electrocution. High pressure systems, too, need careful inspection and maintenance to prevent possible failure from pulsation, vibration, or leaks. Such a failure could cause, among other things, explosions or flying objects.
Machines often produce noise (unwanted sound) which can result in a number of hazards to workers.
Noise can startle and disrupt concentration, and can interfere with communications, thus hindering the worker’s safe job performance. Research has linked noise to a whole range of harmful health effects, from hearing loss and aural pain to nausea, fatigue, reduced muscle control, and emotional disturbance. Engineering controls such as the use of sound-dampening materials, and personal protective equipment, such as ear plugs and muffs, can help control the harmful effects of noise. Also, administrative controls that involve removing the worker from the noise source can be an effective measure when feasible.
These substances can cause ailments ranging from dermatitis to serious illnesses and disease. Specially constructed safeguards, ventilation, and protective equipment and clothing are possible temporary solutions to the problem of machinery-related chemical hazards until these hazards can be better controlled or eliminated from the workplace.
Training
- Even the most elaborate safeguarding system cannot offer effective protection unless the worker knows how to use it and why. Specific and detailed training is therefore a crucial part of any effort to provide safeguarding against machine-related hazards. Thorough operator training should involve instruction or hands-on training in the following:
- a description and identification of the hazards associated with particular machines;
- the safeguards themselves, how they provide protection, and the hazards for which they are intended;
- how to use the safeguards and why;
- how and under what circumstances safeguards can be removed, and by whom (in most cases, repair or maintenance personnel only); and
- what to do (e.g., contact the supervisor) if a safeguard is damaged, missing, or unable to provide adequate protection.
This kind of safety training is necessary for new operators and maintenance or setup personnel, when any new or altered safeguards are put in service, or when workers are assigned to a new machine or operation.
An effective training technique is to present a summary of an actual machine guarding accident, how it happened, and what would have prevented it.
Check out the sample below:
A paper mill employee was killed after he became entangled in a rotating shaft at the company’s paper mill. The worker, employed at the company for less than two weeks, was buffing the shaft when his clothing got caught on the rotating bolt heads of the shaft.
