20 Safety Measures of Machine Safety
Here we will be highlighting “20 safety measures of machine safety”, that is, safety measures that could be put in place to ensure safety when using machines.
Before we get to the list of measures, let me give an overview of what Machine Safety is;
What is Machine Safety:
Machine safety is the set of procedures, processes, and standards designed to protect the health and safety of people working with machines.
It can also be said to cover set of rules that are enacted to ensure that safety of people or persons working with or around machineries.
There are lots of benefits of following machine safety procedures, some of which will be discussed in the next paragraph.
READ: Machine Safety Category Ratings You Should Know — Don’t Get Caught Without Them!
Importance of Machine Safety
The Health and Safety Executive has highlighted the importance of Machine Safety.
It is important that all employers consider how their workers use machinery, this will also involve having adequate maintenance arrangements in place to ensure it remains safe to use. In considering the importance of Machine Safety, we acknowledging these:
Moving machinery can cause injuries in many ways.
- People can be struck and injured by moving parts of machinery or ejected material
- Parts of the body can also be drawn in or trapped between rollers, belts and pulley drives
- Sharp edges can cause cuts and severing injuries. Sharp-pointed parts can cause stabbing or puncture the skin. Rough surface parts can cause friction or abrasion
- People can be crushed, both between parts moving together or towards a fixed part of the machine, wall or other object. Two parts moving past one another can cause shearing
- Parts of the machine, materials and emissions (such as steam or water) can be hot or cold enough to cause burns or scalds. Electricity can cause electrical shock and burns.
Injuries can also occur when:
- Machinery becomes unreliable and develops faults
- Machines are used improperly through inexperience or lack of training
Hence, the importance of Machine Safety is that it will help avoid, reduce or prevents the hazards and risk highlighted above.
20 Safety Measures of Machine Safety
- Operate machinery only when safeguards are properly installed and adjusted.
- Read the operating manual of any new machine carefully, even if you are already familiar with the basics. Always follow the instructions given.
- Never remove machine safeguards or try to get round them.
- Visually assess the machinery and its fixtures and fittings before use, looking for any potential problems.
- Do not use a machine with safeguards that are unauthorised or damaged.
- Fit easy-to-understand safety warning signs in visible locations, for the benefit of anybody in the vicinity of the machine.
- If you discover a machine safeguard problem, report it immediately.
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