What are the most common mistakes when developing a machine guarding program?

The supplier is generally not following the requirements for Fabrication of machine guarding while delivery of any rotating equipment. It has been observing since long the exposed shaft, rotating parts are not covered as per the standard mesh size ,where finger reach,arm reach, hand reach concept. The design part of machine guarding is already accessible but implementation is the concern by individual industrial unit. The management is not investing capital amount for such infrastructure. In current scenario new projects either greenfield and brownfield is having lots of non compliance regarding the machine guarding standard. Still the Safety is the priority not the value for many industrial units and its management.

In my experience we faced many issues related to improper machine guarding, however we came up with a unique idea of Kaizen doot, where one of the fabricator was dedicated to machine guarding improvements project only, that too only after receiving the requirements from floor team, with proper documentation, checking , trials ,final execution and closure..

The intent and purpose of guarding the rotating part should be clear to achieve machine guarding objective 1. Are the guards being installed to prevent projectiles from moving parts or 2. To prevent body parts getting in contact with moving parts

The most important thing to remember when designing and installing new guarding is to ensure that it is difficult to defeat. By this, I mean your guards should be rugged, securely fastened together and make interaction with the hazard impossible without intentional tampering.

In today’s fast pace industrial environment, machine guards, specially where regular maintenance is required is seen as a speed breaker, hindrance in ensuring productivity. It is important that the concerned people are involved in designing not just the machine guard but the entire process of maintenance which helps them do their job without violating. Else the challenge of not putting back the guard after maintenance can never be completely eliminated. Updating to the time is indeed an important aspect. We must also try digitising the process so that the same can be monitored remotely and ensure the purpose is not defeated.

The best machine guard arrangement is the one supplied by the manufacturer as they know exactly which all areas need to be guarded. Have come across onsite machine guards installed which are not robust and does not provide a foolproof arrangement for guarding personnel who are operating the machine.

The biggest hurdle we see as a custom guarding provider is the barrier of cost for guarding. It is a lot cheaper for a customer to build their own guards, but more common than not, when we do an assessment these local fab shop guards are not compliant as the openings are too big, you can reach around, under , over them. They don't entirely cover the rotating parts. There is a benefit to spending a bit more for fully compliant guards from a company that specializes in guarding, that's all they do. When guards are designed to take into account ergonomics as well as maintenance needs, it can actually save downtime and increase productivity while keeping everyone safer.