Machine guarding is put in place to protect against direct contact with moving parts of equipment. They can also prevent flying particles or debris from coming out and striking the user. Sometimes seen as a nuisance these parts play such an important role. They can save fingers and limbs from being crushed, punctured, severed or lacerated.
Common mistakes with machine guarding:
– Reaching into a machine that is running to retrieve a part or for cleaning
– Trying to bypass a guard during maintenance or servicing work
– Injury often occurs when guards are removed altogether or pinned back from the appropriate position
Guards are often in place to cover:
– Belts
– Sparks
– Rolling parts
– Pulleys
– Chains
– Flying particles
– Sprockets
– Presses
– Blades
Types of machine guards:
Fixed – this is the preferred type of guard to be used; It is a permanent fixture around moving parts and must withstand any force that may come in contact with it (examples of this type of guard could be wire screen, sheet metal or plastic)
Interlocked – this type of guard can be opened or removed, and when it is the machine automatically powers
off and cannot run until the guard is replaced (examples of this type of guard could be electrical, hydraulic or mechanical)
Adjustable – this type of guard can be adjusted by the user depending on the size of the part being worked on (an example of this type of guard are those made for various kinds of saws)
Self-Adjusting – this type of guard adjusts automatically depending on the size of the part
being worked on (an example of this type of guard would also be one you would find on
various kinds of saws)