Rotating Hazards
12/14/2020
Many of our projects require working with machines and devices that operate by rotating motion. Drill augurs, pumps, turbines, gearboxes, compressors, engines, as well as certain hand tools (i.e. power rachets), present a potential workplace hazard due to their unique rotating action. The rotating parts can cause serious injury to a persons’ hand or arm, resulting in lacerations, abrasions as well as severed fingers and limbs. Loose clothing and jewelry can accidentally contact rotating parts causing the wearer to get pulled into the equipment. Rotating parts can also catch long hair. So many projects require hair is to be placed under a hat or pinned up or placed in a hair net, so it is out of the way from moving parts.
In addition, many of us are required to wear ID badges or identification that is worn around our necks via a lanyard. To prevent a lanyard from pulling a worker into a machine’s point-of-operation (once it gets caught by a machine’s rotating part), it is important that the lanyard has a safety breakaway that will easily detach when subjected to tension. So, while your badge may be destroyed, you will remain uninjured.
And the same holds true for many of our personal protective equipment such as gloves, coats and jackets, high visibility vests, and rain gear, as they can get caught and pull a worker into a rotating piece of machinery. Therefore, as discussed, a few weeks back, PPE, while designed and intended to protect a worker from one specific hazard, it is not uncommon that we may be prone other hazards (in that case, there is a problem with wearing face coverings and our safety glasses fogging, thereby affecting our visibility).
To address the hazards of rotating parts, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSH) sets safety requirements to protect employees. OSHA states the following:
“One or more methods of machine guarding shall be provided to protect the operator and other employees in the machine area from hazards such as those created by point of operation, ingoing nip points, rotating parts, flying chips and sparks.” (29 CFR 1910.212)
Machine guarding is a safety feature on or around equipment consisting of a shield or device covering hazardous areas of a machine to prevent contact with body parts or to control hazards like chips or sparks from being ejected from the machine.
For example, a barrier can be used, such as a light curtain, to prevent material chips and sparks from striking employees in or walking through the area near the machine. Another type of machine guard is to use a device that requires an employee to keep both hands away from the rotating part to start the machine. OSHA prefers that guards be affixed to a machine, unless it is not possible or may cause a hazard itself.
The part of the machine where material is being processed is referred to as the “point of operation.” To abate physical contact from points-of-operation, OSHA requires guarding that prevents any part of an employee’s body from being in the danger zone while the machine is operating.
In other words, if any worker can possibly come in contact with any moving part of a machine—such as a blade, The sprocket, chain, rotating shaft or shaft end—or can be injured by a flying part, there must be a guard on that machine or machine part.
The specific OSHA standard (29 CFR 1910.212(a)(2) – General Requirements), also states that “Guards shall be affixed to the machine where possible and secured elsewhere if for any reason attachment to the machine is not possible. The guard shall be such that it does not contribute to creating a hazard in itself.”
As it turns out there are many instances where it may not be feasible to apply a guard. In a Letter of Compliance (dated 3/21/1990) OSHA recognizes that “… employers may choose the most suitable method for protecting their employees.” In the case of drilling, OSHA further notes, “… Due to the wide variety of drilling equipment available it would be quite difficult to develop specific safety standards for every responsibility to provide suitable guards to protect employees from hazards.”
Therefore, there are times, when installing a guard may not be possible and it would then be incumbent for the employer, “…to train employees to recognize and avoid hazards.”
OSHA considers employee training an essential part to protect workers. Specific and detailed information should be given to employees regarding a machine’s potential hazards and what controls should be employed (when machine guarding is not feasible) to properly protect employees from injury.
Sometimes we stare so long at a door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open