page_title: Machine guarding
section_title: Safety devices
hierarchical_section_title: Machine guarding / Safety devices
caption_attribution_description: English: Pressure Sensitive Mat prevents operator from accessing hazardous areas around laser cutter.
context_page_description: Machine guarding is a safety feature on or around manufacturing or other engineering equipment consisting of a shield or device covering hazardous areas of a machine to prevent contact with body parts or to control hazards like chips or sparks from exiting the machine. Machine guarding provides a means to protect humans from injury while working nearby or while operating equipment. It is often the first line of defense to protect operators from injury while working on or around industrial machinery during normal operations. In the U.S., machine guarding is referred to in OSHA's CFR 1910.212; in the U.K., machinery safety is covered mainly by PUWER."
context_section_description: Electrical interlocks or other devices tied into the equipment’s control circuit are mounted on access points and are configured to stop equipment operations when opened. These access points should also incorporate hardware to comply with the OSHA lockout/tagout regulation 1910.147. 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 curtain systems may be used alone or in conjunction with other guarding systems. The light curtain projects a field or beams of light between two points and, when the field is broken-at any point, the light curtain system interrupts the circuit it is wired into. These can be used in areas where an operator must interact with operating equipment to prevent movement of the equipment while the operator works a hazardous area.
  Pressure sensitive mats that are wired into the equipment’s control system can be placed in hazardous areas and be set to stop the equipment if stepped on. These devices can be used alone or in conjunction with other guarding devices, usually at operator interaction points.
caption: Pressure sensitive mat for operator of laser cutter
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