View the entire chapter in a PDF format. Please use the pdf for printing.
Publication: December 2005. For information about changes, please see the Revision History.

Chapter 39: Machine Safeguarding

Overview

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that Machine Safeguarding and other safeguards be provided and maintained in a manner sufficient to protect machine operators and other persons present in machine areas from hazards associated with the operation of machines. The purpose of the machine safeguarding program at SLAC is to provide minimum safety requirements for areas where machining tools are used and to assist machine operators, custodians, and supervisors in carrying out their responsibilities for ensuring machine safety through hazard identification and evaluation, safeguarding, training, and safe operation.

Hazards/Impacts

Hazards include those created by points of operation, in-going nip points, rotating parts, flying chips, sparks, moving belts, meshing gears, cutting teeth, or by any parts that impact or shear or have reciprocating, transverse, cutting, punching, shearing, boring, or bending actions.

A partial list of possible machinery-related injuries includes crushed hands and arms, severed fingers, skin lacerations, scalping, hot metal burns, eye injuries, and blindness.

Scope

The requirements of this chapter apply to machine tools, mechanical equipment, and any areas of SLAC where machining or working on metal, plastic, or wood occurs. (For a list of machine shops, see Tools, Machine Shops.)

Note: The scope of this chapter is not limited to machine shops, but extends to all machine tools and the locations where they are used.

The requirements of this chapter apply to all personnel who operate machine tools, including SLAC employees, users, students, and subcontractors.

Exemptions

The use of powered and non-powered portable hand-held tools (such as sanders, drills, sawzalls, staple guns, impact wrenches, powder actuated tools, screw drivers, wrenches, files, hammers, scissors, etc.) is not addressed in this chapter. Refer to ES&H Manual, Chapter 25, "Tools - Power and Hand Operated."