Classification of Safeguards 2.

Safety Controls
a. Guards a. Safety trip control
b. Devices b. Two-hand control/trip
c. Location/distance 3. Gates
d. Miscellaneous

Types of Guards Presence-sensing Device

Commonly used machine guards are Fixed Guards
• Fixed guard • Advantages
• Interlocked guard – Maximum protection
• Adjustable guard – Variety of applications
• Self adjusting guard – In-house fabrication
• Pull back device – Low cost & maintenance
• Two-hand control • Disadvantages
– Poor visibility
 Fixed guard- is kept in place permanently by – Must remove for repairs requiring LOTO
fasteners that can only be released by the use Interlocked Guards
of a tool.
• Switch that when opened stops power
• Interlocked guard- shuts off or disengages
power to the machine and prevents it from • Advantage
starting when the guard is removed/opened. – Maximum protection
• Adjustable guard- provides a barrier which can – Portion of guard easily removed for
be adjusted to suit the varying sizes of the access
input stock.
• Disadvantage
• Self adjusting guard- provides a barrier which
moves according to the size of the stock – Can be overridden by employee
entering the danger area. – High cost
• Two hand control - concurrent use of both – Maintenance required
hands is required to operate the machine,
preventing the operator from reaching the • Advantages: Allows access for some minor
danger area. service work, in accordance with the
lockout/tagaout exception, without time-
• Pull back - the device is attached to the wrist of
the operator which pulls the operator's hands consuming removal of fixed guards.
away from the point of operation or other • Disadvantages: May require periodic
hazardous areas when the machine operates. maintenance or adjustment; movable section
cannot be used for manual feeding; some
Devices designs may be easy to defeat; and interlock
control circuitry may not be used for all
1. Presence sensing
maintenance and servicing work.
a. Photoelectrical
b. Radiofrequency
c. Electromechanical
Adjustable Guards placed far enough from the point of operation
to make it impossible for the operators to move
• Advantage
their hands from the trip buttons or handles
– Flexibility into the point of operation before the first half
– In-house fabrication of the cycle is completed to prevent them from
being accidentally placed in the danger area
• Disadvantage
prior to the slide/ram or blade reaching the full
– Not maximum protection “down” position.
– Rely on worker to properly position • Advantages: operator’s hands are at a
– May prohibit easy access predetermined safe distance; and operator’s
hands are free to pick up new parts after
• Advantages: Can be constructed to suit many completion of first part of cycle.
applications; and can be adjusted admit varying
stock sizes. • Disadvantages: Requires a partial cycle machine
with a brake and anti-repeat feature; operator
• Disadvantages: May require frequent may make devices without anti-tiedown
maintenance or adjustment; and operator may ineffective; and protects the operator only.
make guard ineffective

Self-adjusting Guards
• Advantage
– Employee not involved in positioning
– Readily available
• Disadvantage
– Not maximum protection
– May need frequent fine tuning
Two-Hand Control
• Requires constant, concurrent pressure to
activate the machine
• The operator’s hands are required to be at a
safe location (on control buttons) and at a safe
distance from the danger area while the
machine completes its closing cycle
• This kind of control requires a part-revolution
clutch, brake, and brake monitor if used on a
power press as shown.
• A similar device, known as a two-hand trip,
requires concurrent application of both of the
operator’s control buttons to activate the
machine cycle, after which the hands are free.
This device is used with machines equipped
with full-revolution clutches. The trips must be