MACHINE GUARDING PRINCIPLES

A Good Rule to remember is: Any machine, part, function or process which may cause injury must be safeguarded. good rule to remember is: Any
Factory workers should be well aware of the importance of complying with the safety provisions stipulated in Chapter IV of the Factories Act 1948 and the Tamilnadu Factories Rules 1950 safety in order to ensure continued functionality of equipment and safety for the operators. This means that during the operation of machinery, operators must be fully protected from access to the moving parts and within modern automatic production facilities this protection is built in to the control system. Choice of Protective Measures When the risk assessment shows that a machine or process carries a risk of injury the hazard must be eliminated or contained. The manner in which this is achieved will depend on the nature of the machine and the hazard. In basic terms this means preventing any access to the relevant parts while they are in a dangerous condition. The best choice of protective measure is a device or system that provides the maximum protection with the minimum hindrance to normal machine operation. It is important that all aspects of machine use are considered, as experience shows that a system, which is difficult to use, is more liable to be removed or bypassed.

To achieve this there is a choice of either:

1. Preventing access during dangerous motion or 2. Preventing dangerous motion during access.

Safety provisions relating to Machine Guarding

Section 21 of the Factories Act 1948 deals with the provisions relating to the fencing of machinery. Every moving part of a prime mover, and every fly-wheel connected to a prime mover shall be adequately guarded. Every part of an electric generator, a motor or rotary convertor, every part of transmission machinery and every dangerous part of any other machinery shall also be securely fenced by safe-guards of substantial construction and kept in position while the parts of the machinery they are fencing are in motion. The machine-guarding provisions of the Factories Act clearly depict the picture on WHERE EXACTLY MECHANICAL HAZARDS OCCUR: Point of operation; All parts of the machine that move, such as : fly-wheels, pulleys, belts, couplings, chains, cranks, gears, etc, Feed-mechanisms and auxiliary parts of the machine; In-running nip-points.

Requirements for Safeguards

Prevent contact - prevent workers body or clothing from contacting hazardous moving parts Secure - firmly secured to machine and not easily removed Protect from falling objects - ensure that no objects can fall into moving parts Create no new hazards - must not have shear points, jagged edges or unfinished surfaces

Create no interference - must not prevent worker from performing the job quickly and comfortably Allow safe lubrication - if possible, be able to lubricate the machine without removing the safeguards

Types of Machine Guarding

Fixed Enclosing Guards
If the hazard is on a part of the machinery, which does not require access, it should be permanently guarded with fixed enclosing guards.

Movable Guards with Interlocking Switches

If access is required there must be a movable guard, which is interlocked with the power source of the hazard in a manner, which ensures that whenever the guard door is not closed the hazard power will be switched off. This approach involves the use of an interlocking switch fitted to the guard door. The control of the power source of the hazard is routed through the switch section of the unit. The power source is usually electrical but it could also be pneumatic or hydraulic. When guard door movement (opening) is detected the interlocking switch will isolate the hazard power supply either directly or via a power contactor (or valve). Some interlocking switches also incorporate a locking device that locks the guard door closed and will not release it until the machine is in a safe condition. For the majority of applications the combination of a movable guard and an interlock switch with or without guard locking is the most reliable and cost effective solution.

Two-Hand Controls
The use of two-hand controls is a common method of preventing access while a machine is in a dangerous condition. Two start buttons must be operated at the same time to run the machine.

This ensures that both hands of the operator are occupied in a safe position and therefore cannot be in the hazard area.

Preventing Dangerous Motion

When frequent access is required physical guarding at the hazard is sometimes too restrictive for part loading or adjustment. In this situation a device is required to prevent dangerous motion while allowing unrestricted access by sensing the presence of the operator and isolating the power source.

Photoelectric Light Curtains

These devices emit a curtain of harmless infrared light beams in front of the hazard area. When any of the beams are blocked by intrusion towards the hazard area the light curtain control circuit switches off the hazard power source. Light curtains are extremely versatile and can guard areas many meters wide. Through the use of mirrors the light beams can be diverted around corners to enclose a machine. They are available with different light beam spacing making them suitable for applications ranging from perimeter guarding for industrial robots to point of access guarding on presses and shears. MACHINE SAFETY RESPONSIBILITIES MANAGEMENT: Ensure all machinery is properly guarded. SUPERVISORS: Train employees on specific guard-rules in their areas; Ensure machineguards remain in place and are functional; Immediately correct machine-guard deficiencies. EMPLOYEES: Do not remove guards unless machine is locked or tagged; Report machine-guard problems to the supervisors immediately; Do not operate machines unless guards are in place i.e. the machine-guards are constantly maintained in position, whenever the machinery is in motion.