Health, Safety &

Environment
(CDB 1012/CEB 1032)

Module 3.2
Mechanical
Hazards and
Safeguarding
Mechanical Hazards and
Machine Safeguarding

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 OBJECTIVE

• Describe the basic mechanical hazards

involving machinery including point of
operation and power transmission
devices.
• Introduce control measures through
effective machine guarding principles
and methods.

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Where Mechanical Hazards Occur ?

ACTIONS

• Cutting • Puncturing • Shaping

• Shearing • Crushing • Forming
• Bending • Straining • Boring

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 Mechanical Hazards - Actions

Cutting
• Body parts in contact with sharp
edges
• Occurs at the point of cutting
operation
• Flying chip / scrap materials

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Mechanical Hazards - Actions

Cutting
Process

Circular
Saw
Drillin
g

Turnin Millin
g g 6
 Mechanical Hazards - Actions

Shearing
• Applying power to
a slide or knife in Shearing
Process
order to trim or
shear metal or
other materials
• Occurs at the
point of shearing
operation

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 Mechanical Hazards - Actions

Puncturing
• Power is applied to
Puncturing
a slide (ram) for the Process
purpose of blanking,
drawing, or stamping
metal or other
materials
• Occurs at the point
of operation

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 Mechanical Hazards - Actions

Bending
Bending
Bending
• Power is applied to Process
Process
a slide in order to
draw or stamp metal
or other materials
• Occurs at the point
of operation

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Where Mechanical Hazards Occur ?

MOTIONS

Moving Parts

A. Rotating (nip points) C. Transversing

B. Reciprocating

Components :
Pulleys, Gears, Chains,
Shafts, Sprocket, Belts, etc
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 Mechanical Hazards - Motions

A. Rotating
• Rotating motion can be dangerous; even
smooth , slowly rotating shafts can grip
clothing and force an arm or hand into a
dangerous position
• Rotating nip points are created
between rotating and tangentially moving
part or fixed part

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Mechanical Hazards - Motions

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Mechanical Hazards - Motions

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Mechanical Hazards - Motions

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 Mechanical Hazards - Motions

B. Reciprocating
• back-and-forth or up-and-down
movement can trap a worker between
a moving and stationary part.

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 Mechanical Hazards - Motions

C. Transversing
• Moving part can create a hazard
because a worker may be struck or
caught in a pinch or shear point by the
moving part

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 Mechanical Hazards

How to reduce
mechanical hazards?
⇓
MACHINE SAFEGUARDING

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 Machine Safeguarding - Purpose

■ To minimize the risk of accidents due

to direct contact between human
(operator) and machine

Direct contact can be :

■ Operator direct contact with machine
because of fatigue, distraction, careless etc.
■ From machines such as flying chip and
hot metal splashes
■ Direct results of machine malfunction
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 Machine Safeguarding - Purpose

■ Safeguards are essential for protecting

workers from needless and preventable
injuries.
■ Any machine part, function, or process
which many cause injury must be
safeguarded.
■ Immediate corrective actions, including
stopping the machine, must be taken when
a potential mechanical hazard is observed

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 Machine Safeguarding
WHAT MAKES A GUARD EFFECTIVE ?

■Must prevent human contact with any

potentially harmful machine part
■ Must not present a hazard in itself or
create interference
■ Must not allow objects to fall into moving
parts
■ Allows safe maintenance and lubrication.

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 Machine Safeguarding

There are many ways to safeguard

machines depending on :

■ Type of operation
■ Size or shape of machine
■ Physical layout of the work area
■ Type of material

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 Machine Safeguarding

■ GUARDS (prevent) - are always

preferred and more practical to be used for
power transmission (motion).

■ DEVICES (control) - are sometimes a

more practical option when safeguarding
point of operation.

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 Machine Safeguarding

GUARD DEVICE

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 Machine Safeguarding

Point of Operation Guards :

Fixed Guards Interlocked guards

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 Machine Safeguarding

Lockout/Tagout System :

■ To protect against the unexpected

activation of a machine that is supposed
to be turned off
■ Lockout system - a padlock is used to
prevent a machine from being turned on
until the lock is removed.
■ Tagout system – similar to lockout
system, but use tag instead of lock

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Machine Safeguarding

Lockout/Tag-out
System

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 Machine Safeguarding

TRAINING

■ Safeguarding system cannot offer

effective protection against mechanical
hazards unless the worker knows how to
use it and why.
■ Safety training is necessary for operators
and maintenance or set-up personnel
when any new or altered safeguards are
put in service.

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 Machine Safeguarding

PROTECTIVE CLOTHING/PERSONAL
EQUIPMENT

■ Must appropriate for the particular

hazards
■ Maintained in good condition
■ Properly stored when not in use to
prevent damage or loss
■ Kept clean and fully functional.

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 Mechanical Hazards/Machine
Safeguarding
CONCLUSION

■ Use tagout procedures before service,

maintenance, or repair jobs on machines or
equipment.
■ Follow standard operating procedures (SOP) :
implement safe work steps to check, set up
machines, start, and finish job or task.
■ Inspection and maintenance : inspect the
machinery, guards, and your entire work area,
regularly and often.
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 Mechanical Hazards/Machine
Safeguarding
■ Emergency preparation and regular drills : to
be prepared and able to respond effectively to
minimize loss.
■ Human factor planning : To allow operator
regular relief and change from repetitive tasks
on production lines, to avoid fatigue, strains,
sprains, and other injuries or accidents through
regular breaks and task variety.
■ Training : Conduct training on workplace
inspection, housekeeping and emergency
action and response. 30