Section 28 Machinery and Machine Guarding

• Library: Employer-Employee Law 2008

Subpart O of the general industry regulations—covering
29 C.F.R. §§ 1910.211 through 1910.219—contains requirements pertaining to machinery and machine guarding. Subpart O is designed to prevent occupational injuries (such as cuts, crushed fingers or hands, and amputations) caused by moving machine parts.

The general guarding requirements for all machines are contained in 29 C.F.R. § 1910.212. This standard is frequently cited by OSHA because many employers have machines covered by the general machine guarding standard. The standard mandates the use of one or more methods of machine guarding “to protect the operator and other employees in the machine area from hazards such as those created by point of operation, ingoing nip points, rotating parts, flying chips and sparks.” Section 1910.212(a). “Examples of guarding methods are—barrier guards, two-hand tripping devices, electronic safety devices, etc.” Id.An employer may be able to avoid using these guarding methods if it can show a lack of employee exposure to a hazard. For example, if an employee is located far enough from...