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Inspection template in the LeanSuite app

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Machine guarding inspection checklist

Inspect guards, interlocks and emergency stops on a machine. Use it monthly per machine.

Use this template in LeanSuitePrintable version (PDF)

The full question list

The 21 questions in the inspection

Every question is answered Yes, No or N/A. Each No is flagged and asks for a photo and a comment, so the finding arrives with its evidence.

Guards: Every hazard behind a guard that is fixed, whole and not a hazard itself

  1. 1Each hazard listed on the register has a guard or a safeguarding device [1910.212(a)(1)]
  2. 2Guards are fixed to the machine, not just placed near it, with every fastener present and tight [1910.212(a)(2)]
  3. 3No guard has been taken off, propped open, left off after a job or worked around [1910.212(a)(1), (a)(2)]
  4. 4A guard does not make a hazard of its own: no pinch, shear or sharp edge between it and a moving part [1910.212(a)(2); OSHA 3170 p.11]
  5. 5Guard openings are small enough that a hand or finger cannot reach the hazard, and the guard is not cracked or bent [1910.212(a)(3)(ii); OSHA 3170 p.11]

Point of operation and named machines: Where the work is done, and the machines the standard names

  1. 6The point of operation is guarded so no part of the body can be in the danger zone during the cycle [1910.212(a)(3)(ii)]
  2. 7Hand tools for loading and unloading, where used, keep hands out and add to the guard, never replace it [1910.212(a)(3)(iii)]
  3. 8A revolving drum, barrel or container is enclosed, and the enclosure is interlocked so it cannot turn without it [1910.212(a)(4)]
  4. 9Fan blades less than 7 ft above the floor or working level are guarded, with openings no larger than 1/2 in [1910.212(a)(5)]
  5. 10Abrasive wheel: the guard covers the spindle end, nut and flange, and the work rest is within 1/8 in of the wheel [1910.215(a)(2), (a)(4)]

Power transmission: Belts, pulleys, chains, gears, shafts, flywheels and couplings

  1. 11Belt, rope and chain drives and pulleys within 7 ft of the floor or platform are guarded [1910.219(d)(1), (e), (f)(3)]
  2. 12Gears are enclosed or have a guard of one of the kinds the standard lists [1910.219(f)(1)]
  3. 13Shafting within 7 ft of the floor is cased or troughed, shaft ends are smooth or capped and unused keyways are filled [1910.219(c)(2), (c)(4)]
  4. 14Flywheels, clutches and couplings are guarded, and keys and set screws in revolving parts are flush or covered [1910.219(b)(1), (h)(1), (i)(2), (k)(1)]

Controls and interlocks: The parts that stop the machine, or stop it starting

  1. 15Each interlock stops the machine or blocks a start when its guard opens, and has not been jumpered, taped or bypassed [1910.212(a)(1), (a)(4); OSHA 3170 p.12]
  2. 16Safeguarding devices (light curtain, two-hand control, gate, pullback) work as the maker says and sit at their safe distance [1910.212(a)(1); OSHA 3170 p.13]
  3. 17Foot controls are guarded against accidental operation and cannot cycle the machine on their own [OSHA 3170 p.19]
  4. 18Emergency stops are within reach and work. They add to guarding and never replace it [OSHA 3170 p.18]

Anchoring, servicing and restart: The machine in its place, and what happens when a guard comes off for a job

  1. 19A machine made for a fixed place is anchored so it cannot walk or move [1910.212(b)]
  2. 20Where servicing means removing a guard or reaching into the danger zone, a lockout procedure covers this machine [1910.147(a)(2)(ii)]
  3. 21After servicing, the area is checked and the components are intact, guards and devices refitted, before the machine restarts [1910.147(e)(1)]

When to use it

  • Once a month.
  • The person responsible for the area or equipment answers each question on the spot.

How it is scored

The template is built with points per answer and a pass mark of 90. In this library every audit is set to pass at 80 and every inspection at 90. Each submitted inspection shows its score and pass or fail, and every No is flagged with its photo and comment.

Change the points or the pass mark after you clone it. How rules and scoring work.

Read and print

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Use this template in LeanSuite

It is ready in the Template Marketplace inside Lean Creator as “Machine Guarding Inspection”. Clone it into your plant, change any question, then schedule it to a person, role or asset with reminders. Auditors complete it on a phone or tablet, with photo evidence where required.

Not on LeanSuite yet? On a 90-day pilot our team sets up your account and digitizes the forms and checklists you use today, this one included.

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