Requirements for Machine Guards
What must a machine guard do to protect workers against mechanical hazards?
Manatoba CA - Machine Safeguards: The Basics
Machine guards must meet these minimum general design requirements:
- Prevent contact
The machine guard must prevent hands, arms, and any other part of a worker's body from making contact with dangerous moving parts. A good machine safeguarding system eliminates the possibility of the operator or another worker placing parts of their bodies near hazardous moving parts.
- Secure
Workers should not be able to easily remove or tamper with the machine guard, because a machine guard that can easily be made ineffective is no machine guard at all. Guards and safety devices should be made of durable material that will withstand the conditions of normal use. They must be firmly secured to the machine.
- Protect from falling objects
The machine guard should ensure that no objects can fall into moving parts. A small tool which is dropped into a cycling machine could easily become a projectile that could strike and injure someone. - Create no new hazards
A machine guard defeats its own purpose if it creates a hazard of its own such as a shear point, a jagged edge, or an unfinished surface which can cause a laceration. The edges of guards, for instance, should be rolled or bolted in such a way that they eliminate sharp edges. - Create no interference
Any machine guard which impedes a worker from performing the job quickly and comfortably might soon be overridden or disregarded. Proper machine safeguarding can actually enhance efficiency since it can relieve the worker's apprehensions about injury. - Allow safe lubrication
If possible, one should be able to lubricate the machine without removing the machine guards. Locating oil reservoirs outside the guard, with a line leading to the lubrication point, will reduce the need for the operator or maintenance worker to enter the hazardous area.
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1-7. Which of the following would meet the criteria for suitable machine guard design?
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