Emma Radebaugh
From goggles to handrails, there are quite a few tools workplaces use to keep everyone safe. One of the essential safety tools for any industrial facility is a machine guard, an installable safety barrier that keeps employees safe from moving mechanical parts. Keep reading to learn the top reasons to use machine guarding in the workplace. That way, you can ensure your work environment follows the highest possible safety standards.
Keeps Employees Safe
As mentioned above, the core purpose of machine guards is to keep employees safe around heavy machinery. Components like moving parts and points of operation can snag employee limbs, resulting in major accidents, but we’ll spare you the details. Put simply, nearly any moving part on a machine is a safety hazard, but safeguards ensure the workplace can prevent such dire accidents successfully. An employer has many duties, one of which is keeping their team safe daily.
Follows OSHA Standards
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires companies in the United States to follow key standards that prioritize, you guessed it, workplace safety. Following OSHA standards applicable to your workplace keeps employees safe, operations professional, and your business away from hefty fines due to violations. So, there are quite a few compelling reasons to abide by OSHA standards.
In fact, there’s an eclectic list of OSHA requirements for machine guarding that span various industries. Although some details differ between the industrial uses, one commonality is the focus on keeping employees safe.
Sends the Right Message
Besides safety and professionalism, one of the top reasons to use machine guarding in the workplace is the message it communicates. When a facility has these safety tools on display throughout daily operations, it shows its willingness to keep operations efficient and safe.
Although that might sound like something you read on a company brochure, it’s not inaccurate. Employers must set the right example, which requires attention to the highest safety standards. Speaking of which, now that you know why machine guards are crucial, you can optimize your workplace accordingly. Thanks to machine safeguarding, companies can keep employees safe from accidents. Although moving parts on industrial machines play vital roles in the workplace, you should use the tools responsibly every day.
