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SAFETY MOMENT, MARCH 20

Check the guards before every start

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Safety moment, March 20

Check the guards before every start

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 20

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

Before you start a machine, look at the guards. They should be in place, secure, and not cracked, bent or loose. Guards must be attached to the machine where possible, and a guard must not create a hazard of its own, such as a sharp edge or a new pinch point. Know where the stop button is, and report any problem before the machine runs. (29 CFR 1910.212(a)(2))

ASK THE CREW

What is our procedure when a machine jams, and who is authorized to lock it out?

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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