MACHINE SAFETY

 

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·       GUARDING

Ø    Requirement

Ø    Design

·       MACHINE OPERATION

·       OPERATING CONTROLS

·       LOCKOUT

Ø    Lock removal

Ø    Group lockout

 

GUARDING

Requirement

Before operating a machine, the worker must ensure that all guards are in place. (Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 1165/96, 28)

 

Machines or equipment having exposed moving parts that pose a hazard to workers must be equipped with guards. The guards must provide protection against contact with moving parts or prevent access to the danger zone during operations. (Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 1165/96, 61)

 

The exposed rotating components of all friction-drives must be guarded against contact by workers.  (Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 1165/96, 62)

 

Design

The employer must ensure that all machines and equipment are capable of safely performing the functions for which they are used. (Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 1165/96, 29)

 

MACHINE OPERATION

When equipment is dismantled in whole or in part and subsequently reassembled, it must not be used until completely checked and found to be safe for operation. (Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 1165/96, 31)

 

Where there is a danger of contact with moving parts of machinery, workers must wear close-fitting clothing, long hair must be confined to above the collar, and jewelry must not be worn. (Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 1165/96, 52)

 

The cleaning, piling or adjusting of moving machinery is prohibited when contact with moving parts could injure workers. (Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 1165/96, 73)

 

OPERATING CONTROLS

All power-driven machinery must be equipped with a positive-stop control located within easy reach of the operator.

 

When a machine has stopped due to a power failure, the motor control device must de designed to prevent restarting of the machine when restarting would pose a hazard to workers.

 

Starting devices must be arranged to prevent inadvertent operation. (Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 1165/96, 72)

 

LOCKOUT

Maintenance or repair work must not be carried out on machines or equipment until all parts have been secured against inadvertent movement, lockout procedures have been applied and mechanical or chemical hazards have been removed.

 

Before commencing maintenance or repair work on power-driven equipment, the control devices must be locked in the inoperative position and a tag must be attached prohibiting the operation of the control device. (Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 1165/96, 73)

 

Lockout device, in the case of electrical controls, means the isolating switch or circuit-breaker controlling the flow of current to the branch circuit that supplies power to the machinery or equipment. The locking-out of individual control buttons or switches on a console is not accepted as compliance with the regulations. (Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 1165/96, 73)

 

Lock removal

Tags and locks may only be removed by the person who applied them. In an emergency, a supervisor may remove a tag and lock after ensuring that the equipment can be operated safely. (Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 1165/96, 73)

 

Group lockout

Each worker or crew of workers working independently of each other is responsible for tagging and locking of control devices and removing tags and locks. (Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 1165/96, 73)

 

 

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