Machine guarding

Machine guarding provides a means to protect humans from injury while working nearby or while operating equipment.

Construction of the machine and the guarding should “prevent the operator from having any part of his/her body in the danger zone during the operating cycle.”[3] Perimeter or barrier guarding refers to a barrier placed around a work area where an automated piece of equipment-like a robotic arm-performs a function.

This type of guarding is generally a wire partition system, but also can take the form of pressure sensitive mats or light curtains.

These guarding systems may be configured with various sizes of wire mesh, solid sheet metal, or clear polycarbonate panels.

[5] Solid barriers such as sheet metal or clear view polycarbonate can be used to shield the hazard as well as control sparks or liquids.

[6] The lockout/tagout hardware allows the operator or maintenance person to lock the equipment in the stopped state while performing duties in the hazardous area.

Light curtains or pressure sensitive mats around the perimeter of the work area that stop the robot when an operator enters.