MSHA has identified the basic objectives of the new DVD to provide industry training in the identification of the hazards that require guarding. The training will use the risk assessment method of evaluating a potential guarding hazard. The DVD will also serve to provide train the trainer skills in identifying substandard machine guarding. Lastly they hope the DVD will provide effective abatement ideas for the provision of guards in mining.
The DVD is not ready for publication and it is still in the development stages. MSHA is not at this time able to provide a detailed description of the DVD or its content. This presentation serves to discuss the elements of a comprehensive guarding program for mining. It does not purport to be the exact material or ideas to be put forth by MSHA for its new DVD.
The tentative objectives are (these are not finalized and are subject to change by the committee working on the DVD):
State History of Guarding and Guarding related accidents
Describe the need for the training
Understand the history of citations and the controversy over the handbook
State the need for a consistent risk based approach
Understand the components of a fundamental risk assessment
Describe the typical machine guarding hazards (nip points, shear points etc.)
Identify where these hazards may be found at different mine sites
Describe exposure
List the variables that contribute to exposure (frequency, maintenance activities, etc.)
Understand the difference between inadequate guarding and failure to use proper lockout/tagout/tryout procedures
Given a potential guarding situation, perform a thorough risk assessment
Using the risk assessment, determine how best to guard an identified hazard
Understand what "Performance based" means and how it applies to machine guarding
Describe multiple approaches to guarding
List typical materials used for guarding in the mining industry
Using the risk assessment describe how to evaluate a guarding situation to determine if it is adequate, both in design and in materials used to construct it
Describe when area guarding may be utilized, Understand the additional requirements that must be in place when area guarding is considered
Describe the use of handrails
Understand when the handrails may be used in a guarding application
Understand when the handrails may be used as fall prevention
Describe typical construction requirements for handrails
Discuss new technology used in machine guarding
Using the risk assessment, identify where new technologies may be used
Given a guarding hazard, perform a risk assessment
Given a risk assessment determine one method of guarding the hazard
Given a guarded machine hazard, perform a risk assessment to evaluate whether the guard is adequate.
At the end of the training, the students should also be able to teach this method to other miners/mine operators/compliance specialist/ EFS personnel.
