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SAFETY MOMENT, OCTOBER 12

Keep guards in place

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Safety moment, October 12

Keep guards in place

A pinch point is any spot where part of your body can get caught between a moving part and something solid, or between two moving parts. They are everywhere on the job: gears, rollers, belts, doors, tailgates, chains, loads being set down and machines that swing. It happens in a split second, and a caught hand can be crushed before you can pull it back.

SAFETY MOMENT

October 12

The hazard

A pinch point is any spot where part of your body can get caught between a moving part and something solid, or between two moving parts. They are everywhere on the job: gears, rollers, belts, doors, tailgates, chains, loads being set down and machines that swing. It happens in a split second, and a caught hand can be crushed before you can pull it back.

The action

Machines must have guarding that protects the operator and others nearby from hazards such as the point of operation, ingoing nip points and rotating parts. On construction sites, exposed belts, gears, pulleys, chains and other moving parts of equipment must be guarded too (29 CFR 1926.300(b)(2)). Never remove, bypass or tie back a guard to work faster, and report any guard that is missing or damaged. (29 CFR 1910.212(a)(1))

ASK THE CREW

Which guards on our machines are missing, damaged or hard to keep in place?

From the talk: Pinch points. 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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