Machine Guarding Checklist

The following questions will help determine the safeguarding needs by drawing attention to hazardous conditions or practices requiring correction.

                  Requirements for all Safeguards
 Yes  No

____ ____ 1. Do the safeguards provided meet the minimum OSHA requirements?
____ ____ 2. Do the safeguards prevent workers' hands, arms, and other body parts for making contact with dangerous moving parts?
____ ____ 3. Are the safeguards firmly secured and not easily removable?
____ ____ 4. Do the safeguards ensure that no object will fall into the moving parts?
____ ____ 5. Do the safeguards permit safe, comfortable, and relatively easy operation of the machine?
____ ____ 6. Can the machine be oiled without removing the safeguard?
____ ____ 7. Is there a system for shutting down the machinery before safeguards are removed?
____ ____ 8. Can the existing safeguards be improved?

Mechanical Hazards

The point of operation:

____ ____ 1. Is there a point-of-operation safeguard provided for the machine?
____ ____ 2. Does it keep the operator's hands, fingers, body out of the danger area?
____ ____ 3. Is there evidence that the safeguards have been tampered with or removed?
____ ____ 4. Could you suggest a more practical, effective safeguard?
____ ____ 5. Could changes be made on the machine to eliminate the point-of-operation hazard entirely?

Power transmission apparatus:

____ ____ 1. Are there any unguarded gears, sprockets, pulleys, or flywheels on the apparatus?
____ ____ 2. Are there any exposed belts or chain drives?
____ ____ 3. Are there any exposed set screws, key ways, collars, etc.?
____ ____ 4. Are starting and stopping controls within easy reach of the operator?
____ ____ 5. If there is more than one operator, are separate controls provided?

Other moving parts:

____ ____ 1. Are safeguards provided for all hazardous moving parts of the machine including auxiliary parts?

Nonmechanical Hazards

____ ____ 1. Have appropriate measures been taken to safeguard workers against noise hazards?
____ ____ 2. Have special guards, enclosures, or personal protective equipment been provided, where necessary, to protect workers from exposure to harmful substances used in machine operation?

Electric Hazards

____ ____ 1. Is the machine installed in accordance with National Fire Protection Association and National Electrical Code requirements?
____ ____ 2. Are there loose conduit fittings?
____ ____ 3. Is the machine properly grounded?
____ ____ 4. Is the power supply correctly fused and protected?
____ ____ 5. Do workers occasionally receive minor shocks while operating any of the machines?


____ ____ 1. Do operators and maintenance workers have the necessary training in how to use the safeguards and why?
____ ____ 2. Have operators and maintenance workers been trained in where the safeguards are located, how they provide protection, and what hazards they protect against?
____ ____ 3. Have operators and maintenance workers been trained in how and under what circumstances guards can be removed?
____ ____ 4. Have workers been trained in the procedures to follow if they notice guards that are damaged, missing, or inadequate?

Protective Equipment and Proper Clothing

____ ____ 1. Is protective equipment required?
____ ____ 2. If protective equipment is required, is it available, appropriate for the job, in good condition, kept clean and sanitary, and stored carefully when not in use?
____ ____ 3. Is the operator dressed safely for the job (i.e., no loose-fitting clothing or jewelry)?

Machinery Maintenance and Repair

____ ____ 1. Have maintenance workers received up-to-date instruction on the machines they service?
____ ____ 2. Do maintenance workers lock out the machine from its power sources before beginning repairs?
____ ____ 3. Where several maintenance persons work on the same machine, are multiple lockout devices used?
____ ____ 4. Do maintenance persons use appropriate and safe equipment in their repair work?
____ ____ 5. Is the maintenance equipment itself properly guarded?
____ ____ 6. Are maintenance and servicing workers trained in the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.147, lockout/tagout hazard, and do the procedures for lockout/tagout exist before they attempt their tasks?

Modified after OSHA's Machine Guarding Checklist (as of 5/13/2005)