What is Equipment or Machine Hazard ??

The line organization shall help ensure that all affected persons are trained to recognize machine motions and actions and conditional hazards. This article can help each individual of the team in order to effectively evaluate and manage tasks to acceptable levels of risk.

Hazardous moving parts that should be safeguarded fall into three categories:

1.  Point of operation,
2. Mechanical power transmission, and
3. Other moving parts

What is Equipment or Machine Hazard


Hazardous mechanical motions and actions:-

A variety of different types of hazardous mechanical motions and actions can be present in nearly all machines. These hazards need to be recognized in order to be controlled.

Different Types of Motions :

Rotating motion—the hazard exists even with smooth, slowly rotating shafts, which can grip clothing; skin contact alone can cause injury, which can be severe. The hazard increases when bolts, nicks, abrasions, and projecting keys or set screws are exposed on rotating parts.

Reciprocating—the hazard arises from the opportunity for a person to be struck by or caught between a moving and a stationary part during the back-and-forth or up-and-down motion.

Transverse—movement in a straight, continuous line, which creates a hazard because a worker may be struck or caught in a pinch or shear point by the moving material.

Different type of  Actions of Equipment /Machine


Cutting action—involves rotating, reciprocating, or transverse motion. The hazard exists at the point of operation where a finger, head, and arm injuries can occur and where flying chips or scrap material can strike someone close by.

Punching action—results when power is applied to a slide (e.g., ram) for the purpose of blanking, drawing, or stamping metal or other materials. The hazard is located at the point of operation where materials are inserted, held, and withdrawn by hand.

Shearing action—involves applying power to a slide or knife in order to trim or shear. A hazard exists at the point of operation where the material is inserted, held, and withdrawn.

• Bending action—hazards present at the point of operation from uncontrolled release of energy (including stored energy) and uncontrolled application of energy.

• Stretching action—involves the application of force to pull material to expand or extend the orientation. A hazard exists at the point of operation where the material is inserted, pulled, drawn, and released.

Conditional hazards

A variety of conditional hazards can be present through the machine task life cycle. These hazards need to be recognized in order to control them.

Machine energy levels—the machine energy level substantially affects the level of hazard during any human-machine interaction. Verifying the energy state of the machine is the responsibility of the qualified person. Machine energy states move through a continuum, including locked out and isolated, stopped but not locked out, jog (i.e., intermittent), low speed, and full run speed. Each energy state may require different safeguard tools.

Normal operations—predefined tasks with identified hazards occurring through the machine life cycle (i.e., start-up, shutdown, emergency shutdown, correcting deviations, cleaning, unjamming, and adjusting).

Abnormal operations (troubleshooting)—conditions outside standard operating conditions (SOC) or beyond the predefined standard operating procedure (SOP) that may create unidentified, unrecognized hazards. Abnormal operations include any undefined task or condition where the hazards are potentially unknown (i.e., emergency shutdown, deviation response, cleaning, unjamming, and adjusting).

Transitions—hazards often change through machine transitions, which include moving from

– One machine energy state to another, which may also include moving from one safeguard control to another (e.g., energy isolated and locked out to jog speed and ”Do Not Touch Exception”).

–Normal operations to abnormal operations (e.g., defined hazards to undefined hazards).

–A task one is qualified to perform to a task unqualified to perform, often on the same machine (e.g., operate versus maintain or troubleshoot).

–One accepted and/or authorized body position to an unauthorized body position.

Body positions

–Elevated positions create a high hazard due to the potential of falling into a machine and should be avoided whenever possible.

–Other body positions in the “line of fire” are directly exposed to hazards from the material, equipment, or energy flow (e.g., the path of the missile discharged from a firearm). Body positions in the “line of fire” should be avoided whenever possible.

• Guards—although fixed machine guards are intended to protect affected persons, they may create other hazards if poorly designed or maintained (e.g., sharp, nip, or pinch point). Additionally, the guards, when removed for machine repair, create temporary pinch or crush hazards if not properly secured.