Page 26 - Occupational Health & Safety, February 2017

MACHINE GUARDING
Debunking the Top Three Myths About Industrial Machine Safeguarding
Lack of understanding of OSHA machine guard regulations continues to make machine safeguarding one of OSHA’s Top 10 violations. BY MATT BRENNER
they can lead to expensive Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) citations, a figure that reached $6.8 million in 2015 for violations of Machine Guarding Standard 1910.212.
The actual price tag for an injury is much higher than simply the OSHA citation because indirect costs must be taken into account, such as damaged facili- ties or equipment, medical expenses, lawsuits, lost productivity, and replacement personnel. Worst of all, these accidents can cause extremely severe, potential- ly life-changing injuries to employees or even death. It is estimated that workers who operate and maintain machinery suffer approximately 18,000 amputations, lacerations, crushing injuries, abrasions, and more than 800 deaths per year.
According to Rockford Systems, LLC, a premier provider of machine safeguarding products and services, the reasons for this continuing machine safety crisis are multifold, but three mistaken be- liefs stand out:
1. New machines are safe because their manufactur- ers sold them fully compliant with OSHA regulations.
2. Older machines are exempt from OSHA ma- chine safety regulations.
3. OSHA regulations are only guidelines, not the law.
Machine Safeguarding Myths
Myth One: New machines are safe because their man- ufacturers built them to meet up-to-date safety stan- dards and regulations.
Reality: This depends on the country where the machines were built and the safety standards that the machine manufacturer used as a guideline for control systems, electrical components, and safeguarding. It’s important for the buyer of new machines to specify the Safety Related Parts of Machine Controls SRP/ CS that this equipment must comply with (see ANSI B11.19-2010). The buyer should not hesitate to spell out the clause numbers from either ANSI standards or from European standards where applicable. Remem- ber that safety standards from European Union (EU) countries offer the highest levels of protection.
As part of ongoing market research, we recently purchased a new mill drill and drill press from leading machine manufacturers. After undergoing machine surveys, both machines were found to be in dire non- compliance new out of the box. Both the mill drill and the drill stand did not meet OSHA machine guard- ing compliance in four key areas: not furnished with a safety shield (OSHA 1910.212 and ANSI B11.8), not furnished with drop-out protection for all mo- tors (OSHA 1910.212, ANSI B11.8 and NFPA 79), not
Machine guarding is one of OSHA’s Top 10 most cited violations year after year, de- spite tough regulations and fines that at- tempt to quell the machine safety crisis.
Injuries stemming from a lack of machine safeguard- ing significantly increase metal fabricators’ workers’ compensation premiums and mods. In addition,
22 Occupational Health & Safety | FEBRUARY 2017
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