Industrial Machine Safety Essay Example
Industrial Machine Safety Essay Example

Industrial Machine Safety Essay Example

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  • Pages: 3 (684 words)
  • Published: September 14, 2018
  • Type: Case Study
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Ensuring occupational safety in the machine industry is crucial because of the presence of large machines that can immediately endanger employees. It is important to follow safety standards to avoid accidents caused by carelessness and misjudgments. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a federal agency under the US Department of Labor, plays a vital role in ensuring industrial safety through establishing and enforcing norms. However, there are often misunderstandings about OSHA, which causes concern among large business organizations who worry about potential consequences for not complying with regulations. Established in 1970, OSHA aims to prevent accidents caused by negligence that have the potential to cause harm or even death.

Similarly, Occupational Safety refers to the maintenance of workplace safety to prevent work-related injuries and death. Various types of dangers that can be controlled are considered workplace safety hazards. Examples include

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pinch, catch, shear, and squeeze points; slippery surfaces; flying objects; sharp objects; electricity; depression; and intoxicating and cryogenic substances.

The key objectives for ensuring machine safety from an industrial safety perspective are as follows: recognizing and removing hazards from the work site to guarantee safety, protecting workers from injury or illness by addressing issues with old or unused machine parts, preventing loss of life at the work site, fostering employee responsibility for their own and their coworkers' safety, and improving employee morale. It is important for employees to receive safety instructions in order to prevent panic in the workplace.

OSHA has established guidelines for machinery and machine guarding. These guidelines provide definitions of safety standards and general requirements for all machines. Specific guidelines are also provided for cooperage machinery, mechanical power-transmission apparatus, abrasive wheel machinery, mills and

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calendars in the rubber and plastics industries, mechanical power presses, forging machines, and woodworking machinery requirements.The safety of employees in various industries is ensured through these important standards. A simplified version of the original ACT is presented. The OSHA ACT Statement of the Problem provides a more detailed discussion on these standards and their implementation for safety purposes in the industry. Further information regarding the exact methods of implementation and ensuring safety will be provided as our discussion on machine safety standards continues.

Limitations and false plays in taking safety measures are a common occurrence. There have been instances where safety regulating acts are not taken seriously, leading to unresolved purposes. Several examples showcase the inability to ensure safety:

  • In many OSHA inspections, compliance officers make fundamental errors in their judgment. These issues range from misinterpreting injury data to using inappropriate quantitative methods and providing questionable recommendations for task improvement. Unfortunately, this lack of sincerity and dedication compromises safety.
  • An incident that highlights the practical errors in safety regulations helps us understand the limitations. If we solely rely on OSHA machine guarding regulations, we potentially subject employees to undesirable risks.

Therefore, it is crucial for OSHA officials to be more alert and dedicated as they hold the responsibility of protecting employees' lives.

An example of this concept is the utilization of a belt or disc sanding machine for metal grinding or finishing. According to OSHA, the unused portion of the sanding belt must be guarded, but in the sanding disc section of the same set of 29 CFR 1910.213 standards, OSHA states that the rotating disc above the table does not require guarding. This statement seems

contradictory in itself. In reality, there is only one OSHA regulation for machinery, so such inconsistencies need closer examination. Additionally, it has been observed that numerous field staff have acted independently and imposed inappropriate and contrary practices on companies, disregarding employee understanding and organizational principles. As a result, there is a lack of appropriate support, placing employees at serious risk and undermining morale.

• The relations between OSHA and industry have been adversarial, lacking consistency in dealings. The approach has been forceful rather than humane, posing life-threatening risks. As a result, there is minimal trust. Safety regulating bodies like OSHA are not fulfilling their intended purpose. OSHA brought attention to insidious chemicals, dusts, and fumes when these hazards were often overlooked, but neglected to prioritize formalizing safety practices in industrial and machine-related activities.

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