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SAFETY MOMENT, MARCH 18

Tools and PPE do not replace a guard

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Safety moment, March 18

Tools and PPE do not replace a guard

Machines do not know the difference between the material and your hand. Moving parts can crush, cut, pull in or throw things faster than anyone can react. Guards are there because nobody can stay perfectly careful every minute of every shift. A missing or bypassed guard can turn a normal day into a serious injury.

SAFETY MOMENT

March 18

The hazard

Machines do not know the difference between the material and your hand. Moving parts can crush, cut, pull in or throw things faster than anyone can react. Guards are there because nobody can stay perfectly careful every minute of every shift. A missing or bypassed guard can turn a normal day into a serious injury.

The action

Push sticks and other special hand tools help you place and remove material without putting a hand in the danger zone. They cannot be used instead of the required guarding; they can only add to it. Gloves and safety glasses do not replace a guard either. Gloves can also get caught in rotating parts, so follow the glove rules for each machine. (29 CFR 1910.212(a)(3)(iii))

ASK THE CREW

Who do you tell about a missing or broken guard, and what happens to the machine until it is fixed?

From the talk: Machine guarding. Read it in full, free, with the questions and the sign-in sheet.

HOW TO USE IT

How to give a safety moment

  1. Gather the crew where they work, before the shift or the meeting starts. Read the hazard out loud.
  2. Ask the question and let two or three people answer. What they say about their own work counts for more than what you read.
  3. Name the action and point to one place on today's job where it applies, so everyone knows what to do differently.
  4. Write the date and the names on a sign-in sheet.

A safety moment is short and does not replace the full talk. When you want to go through a topic with the crew, pick a free toolbox talk.

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