Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Updated: 2025-06-23
Regarding machine guarding in the workplace, some pervasive myths might undermine your safety efforts. You may have heard these four commonly believed myths, but they won’t hold up when tested against current knowledge about safeguarding.
Here are the four most common machine-guarding myths and the truths you need to know to protect yourself, your employees, and your coworkers from injury.
1. Machines are Safeguarded Before They’re Shipped
Just because it’s shiny doesn’t mean it’s safe.
Once you’ve spent a significant amount of money on a new machine, it’s easy to think it will come fully safeguarded out of the box. And it might be! By some safety standards. The problem is that safety standards vary wildly by country of origin. One American-made piece of equipment may have more safeguards than another from the same manufacturer elsewhere. And vice-versa.
To further complicate things, manufacturers have no obligation to outfit a machine with all the safety features required by local regulations. Adding this standard would raise the cost of the machine and blunt its competitive edge.
The application also affects the guarding that a machine requires. You need to thoroughly inspect a machine’s moving parts and determine what you will be using it for to ensure proper machine guarding before putting it into use. A drill press shield is standard outfitting for a drill press. But is that enough?
OEM manufacturers can’t simply guess a machine’s purpose, the safety requirements of the country to which it is being shipped, and any specific clauses within that country’s safety standards. You must do your homework and specify your machine guarding requirements to your manufacturer, or purchase and install them once you have the machine in your shop.
2. Old Machines are Exempt from New Safety Protocols
Safety standards are constantly evolving as we learn new techniques for guarding machines.
We’ve all heard at least one crazy story about some freak accident that occurred years ago when safety standards weren’t as strict as they are now. So, does it make sense that machines equipped with antiquated safety protocols or no safety protocols at all would comply with today’s regulations?
As OSHA’s regulations evolve, our machine guarding protocols must also advance. And which piece of machinery catches the most heat from both OSHA and ANSI? Nearly every shop has a bench grinder, but are they all safety compliant? You may want to check yours and see if it could use an upgraded guard or shield.
It might seem common sense that outdated machines are exempt from safety standards- what was once safe is always safe. Not exactly. Even when safety measures are built into old machinery, it can be challenging to ensure they’re working correctly. Additionally, even when they’re in working order, the equipment can still degrade over time.
Be vigilant in constantly inspecting equipment to ensure compliance with current safety measures. You could save a life.
Safety training may seem like a complex undertaking for workers, but consider this: having safety guards in place is of no use if operators don’t know how to operate safely alongside them. Food for thought.
3. Guarding is Expensive and Reduces Efficiency
The overhead cost of properly equipping your machinery to meet safety standards may seem daunting. And it may seem like establishing safety protocols will reduce productivity.
But does it cost less to shut down a machine, or even an entire plant, because of a safety protocol breach that resulted in an injured employee?
It may surprise you to learn that when your employees can focus on their jobs because they trust their equipment, productivity and efficiency increase. It has been proven. Lockheed Martin put the theory to the test with exciting results. When their Paducah, Kentucky, plant prioritized safety, they found that their overhead decreased by 20%. That’s not all. They also saw a 24% jump in productivity.
Simply exceptional.
4. Regulations are Only Guidelines, not Laws.
Machine safety guidelines are not merely suggestions; they are essential. Failing to safeguard your machines appropriately can result in much heavier repercussions than a simple fine. However, fines are also standard for safety code violations.
You could get into hot water with OSHA if you fail a safety inspection. But someone could also lose their life. It is so pertinent that employers spend the time and money to adequately safeguard their machinery against injury and death that this is explicitly stated in the Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1970, and it remains unchanged in the years since its publication.
If the idea of having an employee seriously injure themself on your watch isn’t scary enough, how does the idea of going to jail sound?
On the north side of the border, Bill C-45 amended the Canadian Criminal Code to impose criminal liability on corporate executives who fail to safeguard the machinery their employees use adequately. To put it simply, you can face jail time for violating safety codes.
We could spend hours debunking several more myths regarding machine guarding and safety. Still, the fundamental idea is that it is your moral and legal responsibility to outfit your operation with up-to-date safeguarding equipment. We’re here to help you with that; feel free to reach out with any machine-guarding questions!
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