This guidance compares the main types of machine guard and the other ways of keeping people away from dangerous parts, with the limits of each one.
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Further guidance on machine guarding:
This guidance document is supplied with the TT-7-10 Machine Guarding training talk - click through to that page to purchase. If you have an alphaZ Subscription just click on Download Files on the training talk page. The training talk is also included in the ISO 45001 Toolkit and the integrated toolkits that include it.
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Machine Guarding Guidance
A general guidance document on machine guarding, for anyone who operates, maintains or is responsible for machinery. It explains how moving machinery causes injury, the general principles for suitable guards, the main types of guard and the approaches to safeguarding, from guards and safeguarding devices to awareness barriers.
Topics Covered
- Why guarding is needed - the ways machinery causes injury, including being struck, drawn in, crushed, cut, burned or given an electric shock
- General principles - guards that are strong, hard to override and securely fixed, interlocked where access is frequent, and kept in position
- Types of guard - fixed, interlocked, adjustable and self-adjusting guards, how each one works and what each is suited to
- Guards and safeguarding devices - physical barriers that enclose dangerous parts, and devices such as presence-sensing devices, two-hand controls and gates
- Other approaches - secondary safeguarding methods, location or distance, and awareness barriers, with the limits on when each is acceptable
Who Is It For?
Machine operators, maintenance staff, and the supervisors and managers responsible for providing and checking machine guarding.
Included in the ISO 45001 Toolkit
This guidance is supplied with the TT-7-10 Machine Guarding training talk, which is part of the ISO 45001 Toolkit and the integrated toolkits that include it.
Using the Guidance
Issue it to anyone who operates or maintains machinery before they start, and use it as a reference whenever guarding is checked. Record who has received it, for example on the training matrix.
Choosing the Right Type of Guard
A table compares the main types of guard. Fixed guards are usually preferred because they are simple. Interlocked guards cut the power when opened, and replacing the guard should not restart the machine automatically. Adjustable guards suit different processes but can be overridden by the operator, and self-adjusting guards open only as far as the material being fed in needs.
Adapting the Guidance
Edit the guidance to match your own arrangements - the machinery you use, the guarding standards and industry guidance that apply to it, and how often guards are checked.
Related Documents
Other documents that work alongside this guidance:
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