Purpose
The purpose of this procedure is to provide information on effective control of risk associated with the operation of plant and equipment through the application of mechanical guarding.
Scope
This procedure applies to all types of plant and equipment used, hired, owned or leased by our company and the application of guarding as a control measure to minimise the risk of workplace injury.
Description
- A guard is any shield, cover, casing or physical barrier which, by reason of its form or its location, is intended to prevent contact between that machine part and a person, or part of that person’s clothing.
- Guarding aims to increase the personal safety of operators and others involved in the normal operation, servicing and maintenance of machines. When using these machines, an operator may reach over, under, around or through the machine. Any hazards that you could encounter must be fitted with appropriate guarding.
- AS/NZS 2153.1:1997 Tractors and machinery for agriculture and forestry and the Rural Plant Code of Practice 2004 provide advice on the guarding of agricultural tractors and machinery.
Hazardous parts likely to cause injury
- Any rotating shafting (including joints, coupling, shaft ends and crankshafts), gearing (including friction roller mechanism), cable, sprocket, chain, clutch, coupling, cam or fan blade.
- The run-on point of any belt, chain or cable. Belts themselves are not considered hazardous, provided that their joints are smooth and without hazardous projections or jointing.
- Keyways, keys, grease nipples, set-screws, bolts or any other projections on rotating parts. Any pulley or flywheel that incorporates any openings, spokes or protrusions that render it anything other than totally smooth.
- Any crushing or shearing points e.g. augers and slide blocks, roller feeds, conveyor feeds.
- Ground wheels and track gear that incorporates any openings, spokes or protrusions which are adjacent to an operator’s position (standing platform, seat, footrest) or passenger’s seat.
- Rotating knives, blades, tines or similar parts of power-driven machines which operate in or near the ground or engage crops.
- Any machine component which cuts, grinds, pulps, crushes, breaks or pulverises farm produce.
- Hot parts of any machine where the surface temperature exceeds 120°C in normal operation.
Reducing the risks
As a general rule, guards should:
- be designed in a practical way to protect the user, but allowing easy access
- be in place in dangerous parts of machinery unless they are, by any reasonable definition, located out of reach of users, operators or bystanders
- be conveniently placed so that users, operators and service and maintenance people are less likely to remove them permanently
- be strong and durable enough to suit the machine and its intended use
- protect users, operators and bystanders against dangers caused by ejected material and burns caused by hot parts
- be ventilated where applicable to avoid the machine overheating
- not be removed before the machine is stopped, isolated and all sources neutralised, e.g. pressure in the hydraulic, LP gas lines.
Children and machinery
- Make sure guards are on machines, especially when children are in the vicinity.
- Accidents on farms are preventable – little fingers can reach into places you may not realise possible.
- Guarding increases personal safety.
Reduce or eliminate risk
- redesigning work processes
- using correctly designed and properly fitted equipment
- replacing machinery, material or processes with less hazardous ones.
A guard can perform several functions including:
- denying bodily access
- containing ejected parts, tools, off-cuts or swath
- preventing emissions escaping
- forming part of a safe working platform.
Guarding is commonly used with machinery and equipment to prevent access to:
- rotating end drums of belt conveyors
- moving augers of auger conveyors
- rotating shafts
- moving parts that do not require regular adjustment
- machine transmissions, such as pulley and belt drives, chain drives, exposed drive gears
- any dangerous moving parts, machinery and equipment.
Documents
- Relevant SOP
- Work Health and Safety Act 2011
- Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011
- Relevant Manufacturer’s Manual
Definitions
- Adjustable guarding incorporates movable sections or panels of the guard and allows for material or parts to be fed into the guarded area while still preventing bodily contact.
- Engineering controls eliminate or reduce exposure to a chemical or physical hazard through the use or substitution of engineered machinery or equipment.
- Tunnel guards provide a tunnel, aperture or chute in which material can be inserted into the machinery and equipment, but due to the restrictive design and depth of the opening, fingers, hands, arms, or the entire person is prevented from intruding into the danger area.
- Interlock guarding occurs when the act of moving the guard (opening, sliding or removing) to allow access, stops the action of the hazardous mechanism.