Protect Yourself From Amputations

Amputations are widespread and involve a variety of activities and equipment. Each year, thousands of employees lose fingers, hands, feet, and other body parts–mostly through compression, crushing, or by getting them caught between or struck by objects. Most amputations involve fingertips.

High-Risk Activities

Amputations occur most often when employees operate unguarded or inadequately safegarded:

• Mechanical power presses
• Power press brakes
• Powered and non-powered conveyors
• Printing presses
• Roll-forming and roll-bending machines
• Food slicers
• Meat grinders
• Band saws
• Drill presses
• Milling machines
• Shears, grinders, and slitters
• Table and portable saws
  

Recognize and avoid amputation hazards through guarding, safe work practices, employee training, administrative controls and operating in a safe manner. The best way to prevent amputations caused by stationary or portable machinery is with machine safeguarding.

Guards provide physical barriers to hazardous areas. They should be secure and strong, and employees should not be able to bypass, remove, or tamper with them. Guards should not obstruct the operator’s view or prevent employees from working.

Devices help prevent contact with points of operation and may replace or supplement guards. Devices can interrupt the normal cycle of the machine when the operator’s hands are at the point of operation.

Have more questions? Please call us at 1-800-262-8284 or email us today and let us help you.

For more complete information:
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
U.S. Department of Labor
www.osha.gov (800) 321-OSHA

This article is from the OSHA website. The full article appears at http://www.osha.gov/Publications/amputations-qc.html

Are Your Machines Safe or Unsafe?

The answer is usually somewhere in between. By their nature, machines can be dangerous even when used in a proper manner. Many manufacturers continue to build and sell their tools without the necessary safeguards and electrical controls required by OSHA and various safety regulations. Our experience shows that improper guarding can slow down production and create a safety hazard.

This article is a basic introduction to machine safeguarding. The reader can download a free, simple survey that will allow them to check for common machine guarding violations including improper point of operation protection and incorrect motor controls.

Do you know what an accident can cost you?
A single accident can mess up your finances for years. Money set aside for a new car or vacation is spent on doctor bills. You may be off work for months or unable to return at all. You will spend your free time battling your insurance company to get a fair settlement. If the accident happens at work, a legal judgment against an employer can easily bankrupt an otherwise healthy company.

Why Install Machine Guards?
Simply stated, so you do not get hurt or hurt anyone around you. Machine use can be dangerous, even when you are careful. Unfortunately, not every machine will perform the intended function without posing an injury hazard to the operator. By installing machine guards at work, an employer can save money by reducing insurance rates, increasing productivity and protecting employees.

Machine manufacturers are not required to provide motor controllers and safeguarding equipment that meets OSHA standards. OSHA requires that you the employer make sure all of the machines in the workplace comply with relevant regulations.

Where Do Hazards Occur?
Most machine hazards occur in three main places. The point of operation, (where a blade cuts a piece of wood), power transmission, (belt and pulleys) and power controllers. Just download the free machine survey and find out quickly.

Following the survey will help you uncover the most common safety problems with woodworking and metal working machines. For example, if you have a drill press, the page on drill presses lists the most common areas that need
attention. Answer each question either yes or no to determine if safeguarding is required.

What do I do if I uncover a problem?
A machine's safeguarding is usually neither safe nor unsafe, but somewhere in between. Your job is to find ways to manage the risk and provide a safe and healthful working environment. Sometimes the fix is as simple as installing a panel over the hazard with tamper proof hardware.

In most cases, the safety risk cannot be eliminated so it must be managed. This is accomplished by guarding the hazard with physical barriers and electronic devices. Barriers and shields are used to reduce the level of risk and probability of an accident.

If you do find a problem that you do not know how to fix you can we can help you decide on how to safeguard your machine so that it complies with relevant standards. Email us or call Frank at 800-262-8284 for more information.