Items Tagged with 'Machine guarding'

How can I implement effective machine guarding in my facility?

Every OSHA investigation presents an opportunity for using what comes to light to help prevent similar incidents. Here are three cases – selected by the agency.

Used in the plastics industry, thermoplastic injection molding machines “produce molded plastic parts by converting plastic pellets into molten material, injecting the molten plastic into a mold and cooling the plastic material,” OSHA says. Industries that use these machines include toy, medical device and beverage container manufacturers.

Nearly half of all work-related injuries involving mechanical power presses result in amputation, statistics compiled by OSHA show. Around 60% of amputations involve a worker’s fingers or arm getting caught or compressed by a press or other machinery such as a conveyer, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Washington — Effective Dec. 10, OSHA has updated its National Emphasis Program on amputations in manufacturing industries to “identify and reduce or eliminate” amputation-related hazards.

St. Paul, MN — Responding to a recent spike of amputation injuries in the state, Minnesota OSHA is urging employers to assess workplace risks and take corrective actions.

“From the moment they start to operate the machine,” one safeguarding expert says, “you look at the design and you think, ‘Well, could someone potentially get hurt?’”