Powerful machines have severe hazards. Improperly guarded machines each year cause:
Improper use of machine guards is one of the leading causes of abrasions, lacerations and crushing. Yet replacement costs and lost productivity lead many facilities to operate with missing or damaged guards. Workers and management might even think that removing the guard will make the machine work faster.
Shortcuts Can Cost More
In a perfect world, all tools and equipment in a facility will be new and in good repair. Damaged machinery ends up with broken or missing guards. The choice to delay repair or replacement will save some money for now, but jury-rigging equipment and cutting corners with machinery will cost more in the end. Improper machine guarding routinely makes OSHA's list of the top 10 most common citations.
A manufacturer in Florida was cited for removing guards during production, causing a worker to suffer a partial hand amputation. "Management made a conscious decision to remove guards on three machines that exposed workers to dangerous metal shears," said OSHA Area Office Director Michelle Gonzalez in Jacksonville, Florida. "They put profits over their employees' safety and a young worker is permanently disabled."
5 Tips for Machine Safety
Machines move in a variety of ways including articulated motions (robots) that can be hard to predict. When changes are made to machinery in the workforce, safety can be overlooked. Use these helpful tips to improve worker safety:
Maintain hazard awareness through visual communication.
Make machine and equipment evaluations routine. Use a job hazard analysis report malfunctions, near misses, and other concerns. Use the findings to prepare frequent toolbox talks and training. Address machine and equipment safety with workers by going over proper work etiquette, guards, maintenance, and potential problems. Protect your workers with a wide range of safety signage and other helpful tools from DuraLabel.