Machine Guarding: General Requirements for All Machines

Machines cut, press, roll, and spin, and the same motion that does the work can injure the person running the machine or someone standing nearby. This standard is OSHA's general machine guarding rule. It asks you to put guarding between people and the hazard, to guard the point of operation, to enclose revolving drums, to guard low fan blades, and to anchor machines that are built to stay in one place.

Who it applies to

The section is titled "General requirements for all machines." It sits in Subpart O, Machinery and Machine Guarding, of Part 1910. The section is short. It has no scope paragraph of its own and lists no exemptions.

The protection is owed to "the operator and other employees in the machine area" (1910.212(a)(1)).

Three of its rules apply only to certain equipment: revolving drums, barrels, and containers (1910.212(a)(4)), fans with blades below a set height (1910.212(a)(5)), and machines designed for a fixed location (1910.212(b)).

Subpart O also has sections for particular kinds of equipment, including 1910.217, Mechanical power presses, and 1910.219, Mechanical power-transmission apparatus. Read those alongside this one if you have that equipment.

What the standard requires

Provide machine guarding

You must provide one or more methods of machine guarding to protect the operator and other employees in the machine area from hazards "such as" those created by (1910.212(a)(1)):

• Point of operation
• Ingoing nip points
• Rotating parts
• Flying chips and sparks

The text gives examples of guarding methods: barrier guards, two-hand tripping devices, and electronic safety devices. The list ends with "etc.", so these are examples, not the only choices (1910.212(a)(1)).

Attach guards properly

Guards must be affixed to the machine where possible. If for any reason the guard cannot be attached to the machine, it must be secured elsewhere (1910.212(a)(2)).

The guard must be such that it does not offer an accident hazard in itself (1910.212(a)(2)).

Guard the point of operation

The point of operation is "the area on a machine where work is actually performed upon the material being processed" (1910.212(a)(3)(i)).

The point of operation of machines whose operation exposes an employee to injury must be guarded (1910.212(a)(3)(ii)). The guarding device must either:

• Conform to any appropriate standards for it, or
• Where there are no applicable specific standards, be designed and constructed so that it prevents the operator from having any part of the body in the danger zone during the operating cycle (1910.212(a)(3)(ii)).

Special hand tools for placing and removing material must allow easy handling of the material without the operator placing a hand in the danger zone. These tools must not be used in place of other guarding the section requires. They can only supplement the protection provided (1910.212(a)(3)(iii)).

The text lists "some of the machines which usually require point of operation guarding" (1910.212(a)(3)(iv)):

• Guillotine cutters
• Shears
• Alligator shears
• Power presses
• Milling machines
• Power saws
• Jointers
• Portable power tools
• Forming rolls and calenders

Enclose revolving drums, barrels, and containers

Revolving drums, barrels, and containers must be guarded by an enclosure that is interlocked with the drive mechanism, so that the barrel, drum, or container cannot revolve unless the guard enclosure is in place (1910.212(a)(4)).

Guard low fan blades

When the periphery of the blades of a fan is less than seven (7) feet above the floor or working level, the blades must be guarded. The guard must have openings no larger than one-half (1/2) inch (1910.212(a)(5)).

Anchor fixed machinery

Machines designed for a fixed location must be securely anchored to prevent walking or moving (1910.212(b)).

Training

The text of 1910.212 does not contain a training requirement.

Written programs and records

The text of 1910.212 does not require a written program, an inspection record, or a certification, and it sets no record retention period.

Easy-to-miss requirements

• Guarding is not just for the operator. The duty covers "other employees in the machine area" too (1910.212(a)(1)).
• The machine list is not a complete list. It names "some of the machines which usually require" point of operation guarding (1910.212(a)(3)(iv)). The duty itself turns on whether the machine's operation exposes an employee to injury (1910.212(a)(3)(ii)).
• Hand tools do not replace a guard. Special hand tools can only supplement the protection provided (1910.212(a)(3)(iii)).
• A drum enclosure must be interlocked. The text calls for an enclosure tied to the drive mechanism so the drum cannot revolve unless the enclosure is in place (1910.212(a)(4)).
• The fan height is measured to the edge of the blades. The trigger is the periphery of the blades being less than seven (7) feet above the floor or working level (1910.212(a)(5)).

Related guides

• Lockout/tagout
• Eye and face protection
• PPE hazard assessment

Source

This guide is based on the text of 29 CFR 1910.212 as published on osha.gov. The regulation itself always controls. States that run their own OSHA-approved State Plans may have additional or stricter rules.