Safeguarding machines is a goal common to all health and safety professionals. Whether the individual is new to the safety field or has held associated responsibilities for a period of time, safeguarding personnel who work with or around machine tools and equipment should be considered an important aspect of the job. Although significant progress has been made in terms of safeguarding machines since the era prior to the organized safety movement companies continue to be cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and workers continue to be injured, even killed by machine tools and equipment. In the early 1900s, it was common practice to operate transmission machinery (gears, belts, pulleys, shafting, etc.) completely unguarded. At that time, the countersunk set screw used on shafting had not been invented and projecting set screws were involved in many horrific accidents (Blake, 175). Manufacturers built machines with little regard for worker safety. Workers were killed or seriously injured before definitive actions were taken to improve safety in the workplace. Many states adopted legislation aimed at requiring machine guarding and improved injury reduction. The first patent for a machine safeguard was issued in 1868 for a mechanical interlock (Brauer, pg 147). Other patents followed. As methods for safeguarding machinery and tools were developed, standards were written and programs were set up to monitor factories for compliance. Many of those standards continue to govern how we protect workers today.
It is common to see machine tools built in the forties, fifties and sixties being used in machine shops today. In terms of safeguarding, these machines may be considered poorly designed, improperly safeguarded or simply unguarded. In addition to the potential threat of an OSHA citation, these conditions expose the operator to serious hazards that must be addressed. The safety professional can help line management determine workable solutions for these problems.
The role of the safety professional is to periodically monitor operations and advise management with regard to what they need to do. "Safety" is owned by line management. The responsibility to enforce the program belongs to line management - not the safety professional. Safety professionals who place themselves in the position of enforcing the safety process become thought of as the safety cop and will find it more difficult to maintain credibility and support among the workforce. They will find themselves held accountable by their manager for something they cannot control. It is important to your success to recognize the scope of your role.
External enforcement actions, in terms of compliance inspections are performed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA); either State or Federal depending on the location. Federal OHSA requirements for machine guarding are located in 29 CFR 1910, Subpart O, Machinery and Machine Guarding. The requirements are contained in 1910.211 through 1910.219. In spite of the progress made in the area of safeguarding machinery and equipment, OSHA continues to identify violations at an alarming frequency.