GUARDING

Requirement

A person responsible for putting equipment into operation shall, before doing so, ensure that guards are in place and that putting the equipment into operation will not endanger any person. (General Safety Regulations 1990, 12)

Machinery and equipment must be equipped with guards that prevent workers from contacting moving parts and from entering a danger area during operation. (General Safety Regulations 1990, 97)

Design

A guard must be designed, constructed, installed and maintained so it is capable of effectively performing the functions for which it is intended.

The application of guards and associated devices must be in accordance with the current standards of the Canadian Standards Association, the American National Standards Institute, or other standards accepted by the Chief Safety Officer. (General Safety Regulations 1990, 98)

A guardrail installed to prevent contact with moving machinery must be so located as to provide a clearance of not less than 38.1 cm (15 in.) and not more than 50.8 cm (20 in.) between the guardrail and the machinery. The design and construction of guardrails must be such as to prevent workers from coming into contact with moving machinery. (General Safety Regulations 1990, 105)

MACHINE OPERATION

The employer must ensure that no person shall operate machinery or equipment unless authorized. The worker must have been adequately instructed and trained and demonstrated to the employer an ability to operate the machinery or equipment safely. (General Safety Regulations 1990, 11)

OPERATING CONTROLS

Power driven machinery must be equipped with start/stop controls located within easy reach of the operator.

Where the automatic restarting of machinery that has been stopped through power failure would create a hazard to a person, the motor control device must be designed to prevent restarting after restoration of power.

A starting device must be so arranged as to prevent inadvertent operation. (General Safety Regulations 1990, 137)

PHYSICAL HAZARDS

Where a worker is exposed to hazard from moving parts of machinery or where the work process involves a similar hazard, the employer shall ensure that the clothing of the worker fits closely about the body, no dangling or protruding neckwear, bracelets, wristwatches, rings or similar articles are worn, and cranial and facial hair is completely confined or cut short. (General Safety Regulations 1990, 39)

LOCKOUT

No person shall oil or adjust moving machinery if he or she could come in contact with moving parts.

When machinery or equipment is shut down for maintenance or repairs, no work shall be carried out until parts, extensions and attachments have been secured against inadvertent movement, when the nature of the work exposes workers to mechanical hazards or harmful substances until the hazardous conditions have been removed, and until lock out procedures have been applied. (General Safety Regulations 1990, 141 - 142)

Control device means the 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 does not constitute compliance with the regulations. (General Safety Regulations 1990, 148)

Procedure

Before commencing maintenance or repair work on power driven machinery or equipment, the control devices must be secured in the inoperative position by the use of locks that must be marked or tagged to identify the person applying them. (General Safety Regulations 1990, 144)

A person who works on machinery or equipment is responsible for locking the control devices and removing the lock on the completion of his or her work.

After lock out procedures have been applied, the affected machinery or equipment must be checked to ensure that it cannot be operated. (General Safety Regulations 1990, 145 - 146)

Only lock out procedures are acceptable. Where circumstances render the application of lock out procedures impracticable, alternative proposals designed to provide equivalent protection to workers shall be submitted to the Chief Safety Officer for consideration and approval. (General Safety Regulations 1990, 149)

Lock removal

Locks must only be removed by the person or persons who installed them or, in an emergency, by a supervisor, who shall first ensure that the machinery or equipment can be operated safely. (General Safety Regulations 1990, 147)

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