Machine guards are critical to the safety not only of machine operators but also of employees who work around machines. Here’s a case in point.
As in yesterday’s Advisor, this case comes from BLR’s outstanding OSHA Accident Case Studies.
An employee was sweeping the floor around a machine in operation.
Please note that written work rules did not specifically address an acceptable method of cleaning around machinery in operation. Nor was there any guarding around this machine’s belt and pulley assembly.
The employee reached under a belt and pulley guard with a hand brush in her left hand. Her glove was caught by the in-running portion of the notched flat belt, which was approximately 16 inches from the floor. Her left hand was pulled into motor pulley, causing two compound fractures to her left arm and damage to the hand, including the complete loss of the middle and index fingers.
What Went Wrong
- By reaching under the guard and under the machine, the employee put herself in danger.
- The employee did not inspect the machine’s guard to ensure it was adequate such that it would prevent her from touching or being caught in the machine’s motion. She didn’t know she was supposed to.
- The guard did not completely cover the hazard. According to OSHA’s inspection, there was a 4-inch gap between the guard and the machine body, which means a worker could have reached into the gap from the top or the sides. Also, the bottom of the belt and pulley, which was 16 inches from the floor, was not guarded at all.
Try OSHA Accident Case Studies and give a boost to your safety training program with real-life case studies of actual industrial accidents from OSHA files. Get the details.
- The employee attempted to clean under the machine while it was still in operation. If the employee had waited for the machine to stop operation, then applied lockout and tagout to the machine before cleaning under it, she would not have been injured.
- According to the OSHA inspection, there appeared to be a lack of written work rules regarding cleaning around machinery—especially when it is in operation.
- There also appeared to be a lack of training because the worker did seem to be aware of machine hazards, the importance of guard inspections, or lockout and tagout practices.
Training Implications
- Train employees to stay away from any machinery unless they are properly trained on the machine’s hazards, guarding requirements, and how to safely work on or near the machine.
- Teach employees who work around machinery to identify machine hazards (e.g., cutting action, punching action, shearing action, and nip points) and the location of those hazards.
- Instruct machine operators to make sure all machines are properly safeguarded and that machine guards are in place and operating properly before operation.
- Teach employees about OSHA’s guarding requirements—for example, that guards must prevent bodily contact with the danger zone, be secured to the machine, prevent objects from entering the danger zone, and so on.
- Tell workers who to contact if a guard is missing, damaged, or inadequate, and instruct them not operate the machine until the guard is fixed.
Even your most skeptical workers will see what can go wrong and become safety-minded employees with OSHA Accident Case Studies. They’ll learn valuable safety training lessons from real mistakes—but in classroom training meetings instead of on your shop floor. Get more info.
Get Your Workers Thinking Safety
Safety training program need a boost? Try OSHA Accident Case Studies.
Animated, customizable PowerPoint slides tell real-life case studies of actual industrial accidents from OSHA files, complete with accident photos to get workers’ attention and make your safety meetings come alive.
OSHA Accident Case Studies includes 25 meetings on all key safety topics.
Even your most skeptical workers will see what can go wrong and become safety-minded employees. They’ll learn valuable safety training lessons from real mistakes—but in classroom training meetings instead of on your shop floor.
You get:
- 25 case study meetings on key OSHA topics
- Customizable visuals and text
- Fast moving, animated PowerPoint presentations
- Detailed speaker’s notes for every slide
- Printable handouts, quizzes, and slides for each topic
- Interactive exercises and questions
Safety topics include:
—Back safety
—Power tools
—Hazard communication
—Lockout/tagout
—Fire safety
—Hearing protection
—Confined spaces
—Trenching and excavation
—HAZWOPER
—Ergonomics
—And more!
We’ll be happy to make OSHA Accident Case Studies available for a no-cost, no-obligation, 30-day evaluation in your office. Just let us know, and we’ll be pleased to arrange it.