Do your machines have these eight guarding devices?

You must ensure that your machinery is properly guarded.

How do you do this?

Simply implement the machinery regulations of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA).

The OHSA requires you to ensure your machines have these eight guarding devices

1. Design: Your equipment must be designed to eliminate exposed dangerous parts.
2. Enclosures, covers or barricades: These must be erected to prevent contact with dangerous parts.
3. Remote tripping or starting devices: The operator must be at a safe distance from the machine before he restarts it.
4. Interference with tripping or starting devices: This will prevent the machine starting until the operator's hands are out of the danger zone, says the Health & Safety Advisor.
5. Stopping continued machine motion: Make sure if a hand remains in the danger zone after the machine is started, its continued functioning will be prevented or modified.
6. Automatic means to remove hands from danger zone: This method uses mechanical devices that pull, push or sweep the hands away.
7. Automatic feeding devices: This makes it unnecessary for operators to place their hands in the danger zone when feeding stock.
8. Location: Safeguarding is achieved through inaccessibility.

Now that you know the eight guarding devices, make your machinery safe to use and ensure everything is properly guarded. If you don't, you could have a health and safety nightmare on your hands.