Investigations of machine safety & industrial mechanical injuries
Vista Engineering regularly investigates machine safety and industrial machinery fatalities & injuries to determine their cause. Investigations typically include an evaluation of equipment designs and installations in accordance with industry standards, maintenance and repair issues, presence of defects, and the adequacy of warnings and instructions.
The best and most effective way to address a hazard is to design the machine or process so that the hazard is eliminated. In some cases, the hazard is inherent to the machine or process and cannot be eliminated by design. When that’s the situation, the next best option is to guard the hazard in a way that personnel cannot physically contact the hazard. This is a fixed barrier guard. Fixed barrier guards are permanently attached to equipment and are the most common type of guard because of their simplicity and effectiveness. These types of guards physically prevent personnel from contacting the hazards associated with machinery.
Types of common safety precautions
Each machine has unique properties including its function, layout, operational requirements, materials processed, and the hazards involved. For these reasons, machine safeguarding decisions must be made on a case-by-case basis after a detailed risk assessment. When fixed barrier guards are not an option, electronic machine safety guards are the solution. Electronic guard systems can be made up of several components that may include:
- Interlocked guards
- Presence sensing devices
- Safety light curtains
- Safety mats
- Safety area laser scanners
- Two hand controls
- Safety relays
Outcomes can be severe if the safety guards malfunction, users work around the guards, users are improperly trained, or misuse the machine. Vista Engineering and Consulting investigates the root cause of the incident that caused injury or death through proven scientific methods.