Industrial Machine Guarding

While advancing technology has increased the automation of industrial applications, human operation is still necessary for key manufacturing steps and machine maintenance. Proper guarding of potentially dangerous machine parts is an important step in preventing injury to operators or bystanders.

There are several techniques used to guard machine parts, ranging from direct barriers, such as a chain guard on a bicycle, to more complex techniques such as photoelectric sensors or pull-back devices to prevent machine operation while an operator is within a danger zone.

Heiberg Engineering can review your current machine guarding to determine potential safety concerns. Things we consider include adequate warning signs, guarding standards, interlock design and implementation, roller and nip-point guarding, and punch press pullbacks.

If a workplace accident has occurred, Heiberg Engineering can perform an in-depth analysis to determine the cause and whether the accident would have been preventable. Pertinent questions include:

  • Did the operator circumvent machine guarding?
  • Were pullbacks adequately adjusted and maintained?
  • Could this accident have been prevented with proper interlocks?
  • Were warnings signs adequate and properly displayed?

Case Study - Machine Guarding: Plaintiff Side

Investigation of Machine Guarding Design