Barriers & Machine Protection Systems for Industrial Safety

Machine Guarding Systems for Safer Production Floors

Machine guarding systems are protective barriers designed to shield employees from hazardous machine motion and points of operation. Common applications include rotating parts, ingoing nip points, reciprocating or traversing motion, and areas where chips or sparks are generated. Proper guarding prevents accidental contact while maintaining visibility and access for normal operation and maintenance.

Unprotected machinery can cause severe injuries, including crushed hands, amputations, burns, and eye damage, resulting in downtime and increased workers' compensation costs. OSHA machine guarding standards require safeguarding any machine part or process that could cause injury to protect operators and nearby personnel.

Each machine has its own unique mechanical and non-mechanical hazards, ranging from minor abrasions, burns, and cuts to severe fractures, lacerations, crushing injuries, or amputation. By controlling mechanical hazards and debris, machine guarding reduces preventable injuries and production disruptions while supporting OSHA compliance and long-term operational reliability.

Selecting the Right Type:

♦ Hazard type: choose machine guards and guard rails for point-of-operation and equipment protection, or bollards and corner guards for personnel and structural protection.
♦ Application: dock and warehouse areas suit safety gates and barricades, while production floors suit modular guardrail and rack protection systems.
♦ Visibility and awareness: add safety floor tape or a collision awareness sensor system to reinforce physical barriers with visual and audible warnings.

Where Commonly Used:

♦ Manufacturing Floors, machine guards, and guard rails protect operators from point-of-operation hazards.
♦ Warehouses and Distribution Centers, dock safety gates and floor-mounted barriers control access and protect racking.
♦ Loading Docks, swivel and barricade gates manage safe access during loading and unloading.
♦ High-Traffic Forklift Areas, bollards, corner guards, and collision awareness systems reduce impact risk between equipment and structures.

CustomMHS carries the full line of machine guarding products from Handle-It, MECO, Jesco, Vestil, Mighty Line, and Save-Ty, backed by each manufacturer's warranty.