Beyond compliance: Building a culture of safety in industrial workplaces

January 29, 2026 / in Machine Safety Blog
Introduction In many industrial workplaces, safety efforts begin and end with compliance. Guards are installed, procedures are written, and training records are filed away. On paper, everything looks acceptable. On the shop floor, however, risks remain. Compliance can be challenging because it requires sustained attention, effort, and motivation, especially under real production pressures. In fact,…
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How to Wire Safety Guard Interlock Switches

August 19, 2025 / in Machine Safety Blog
Safety guard interlock switches are used to protect workers from hazardous machine motion by ensuring the machine stops when a guard is opened or removed. These switches form part of the safety control system and are typically wired to remove power from the machine or trigger a safe state. Wiring them correctly helps maintain worker…
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Proven Tips for Maintaining Your Machine Guards

June 18, 2025 / in Machine Safety Blog
Introduction to Machine Guarding Machine guards are more than just protective barriers; they are the frontline defenders of workplace safety. By enclosing or shielding dangerous moving parts, machine guards prevent injuries like amputations, lacerations, and crushing incidents. Regulatory bodies such as OSHA mandate their use to create a secure working environment. However, simply having guards…
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H-Frame Hydraulic Press Hazards & Safeguarding Solutions

May 29, 2025 / in Machine Safety Blog
Why focus on H-frames? The classic H-frame (four-column) hydraulic press is popular because it offers an open front, generous visibility with maximum daylight*, and high tonnage in a compact footprint. Those benefits create broad exposure zones and strong ejection paths, raising the stakes for operators and anyone walking past. * I came across the technical…
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Safeguarding Plate Rolling Machines

April 9, 2025 / in Machine Safety Blog
Plate rolling machines, also known as three-roll bending machines, form curves on flat stock, such as sheet metal and plate stock. The infeed area of a plate rolling machine is one of the most hazardous zones on the shop floor. Suppose a worker gets caught between the counter-rotating rolls. In that case, the consequences can…
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Understanding Safety Rope Pull Switches

March 6, 2025 / in Machine Safety Blog
A Comprehensive Guide for Industry Professionals Over the years, I have visited many companies but realized I have not seen many rope pull switches installed. That could be because it was rare for me to frequent companies that used a lot of conveyor belts or large production line machinery. However, I have recommended installing rope…
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Anti-Restart Protection Devices

February 13, 2025 / in Machine Safety Blog
I frequently share blog posts with customers to inform them about various safety topics. Surprisingly, I realized I hadn’t written about anti-restart protection, which is a critical safety feature in many tools and machines. In brief, anti-restart protection prevents a machine from automatically restarting itself, such as during a power failure. One thing that I…
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Environmental Stress Cracking in Machine Guarding

December 3, 2024 / in Machine Safety Blog
Environmental Stress Cracking (ESC) of Polycarbonate Polycarbonate is a versatile material celebrated for its exceptional strength, impact resistance, and optical clarity. As a preferred choice for machine safety guards and shields, it provides unmatched protection in industrial settings. However, polycarbonate is not immune to challenges like any material, including environmental stress cracking (ESC). This article…
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Safety Relays Explained: A Guide to How It Works

October 1, 2024 / in Machine Safety Blog
Updated April 30, 2025 – Corrections made based on feedback. Thanks to Frank at Automated Machine Technologies for the input.Updated December 5, 2025 – Additional refinements were made to improve clarity around wiring practices, diagnostic behaviour, and OSSD signal explanations. Introduction A safety relay is an electromechanical or electronic device designed to reduce risk and…
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Mechanical Hazards and Injuries in the Workplace

September 5, 2024 / in Machine Safety Blog
The primary purpose of machine guarding is to protect people from mechanical hazards in the workplace. However, to safeguard a machine, you should first be able to identify the primary hazards that can be found in and around machinery. But first, let’s define mechanical hazards, and later, we will give examples. Mechanical Hazards “Mechanical hazard”…
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