Mechanical Equipment
Mechanical equipment can cause serious injuries, including sprains and strains, open wounds, fractures and amputations. Some injuries can result in death.
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Your workplace should have a maintenance program to ensure that all equipment and machines are in safe working order. |
The most common mechanical equipment injuries are to hands and fingers, which may be cut, sprained, dislocated, broken, crushed or severed by machinery or tools. A large number of eye injuries are due to mechanical equipment. Eye injuries caused by mechanical equipment accidents include being hit by an object, heat, radiation and hitting an object.
Mechanical equipment injuries can cause lengthy periods of time off work, and sometimes permanent disability. A large number of injuries occur in the construction, agricultural and manufacturing industries.
When working with mechanical equipment, personal protective equipment may include protective gloves; arm guards; safety glasses; hard hats; and safety boots.
Guards
Guards are attached to mechanical equipment and must be used to protect you from the moving parts of machines.
Keep all guards in place. If guards are removed during cleaning, make sure they are replaced. Do not start the machine during cleaning.
Locking out of equipment
This is one way of preventing machinery or electrical current becoming operational during maintenance. A lock is attached to the machine switch so that it can't be turned on.
The person working with the machine should hold the only key to the lock. A lock must only be removed by the person who attached it to the equipment or machinery Procedures must be put in place for the removal of the lock should the person not be available, for example, if there has been a change of shift workers.
'Danger' and 'Out of Service' Tags
Red and black "DANGER" tags are designed for the protection of individual persons. The only person permitted to remove a personal danger tag is the person whose name is on the tag.
Yellow and black "OUT OF SERVICE" tags are used to prevent accidents or damage to machinery that is out of service for repairs.
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Any faulty equipment should be tagged so that it cannot be used until it is replaced or repaired. |
The safe work procedures for the removal of "DANGER " and 'OUT OF SERVICE" tags at your workplace must be followed.
Generally, workers should not work alone with machinery unless it has 'deadman' switches. This is a type of switch often used on electrical vehicles. It is designed so that if the driver releases his/her pressure on the switch (handle or pedal) owing to sudden illness or other causes, the current is cut off and the machine ceases to operate.
If a worker must work alone, the machine's controls should be clearly marked in such a way that another person who may not be familiar with the machine would be able to turn it off in case of an emergency.
