Department of Energy (DOE) OSH Technical Reference

Chapter 10 - Woodworking Machinery

Part 3 - Protective Devices

Table of Contents

• 3.1 Personal Protective Equipment
• 3.2 Electrical Safeguards
• 3.3 Machine Guarding

3.1 - Personal Protective Equipment

Protective eye and face equipment is required where there is reasonable probability of injury while performing woodworking tasks. It is the responsibility of the employer to make suitable protection available. More information can be obtained about eye and face protection in ANSI Std Z87.1-1968. Persons whose vision requires the use of corrective lenses and who are also required to wear eye protection must have one of the following:

• Spectacles whose protective lenses provide optical correction.

• Goggles that can be worn over corrective spectacles without disturbing the adjustment of the spectacles.

• Goggles that incorporate corrective lenses mounted behind the protective lenses.

Respirators must be provided by the employer when such equipment is necessary to protect the health of employees. An industrial hygienist, through the respiratory protection program, will determine shop and employee requirements. Hearing protection must also be provided when exposure to noise exceeds the federal standard or any ANSI standard pertaining to woodworking requirements. The industrial hygienist also determines those requirements.

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3.2 - Electrical Safeguards

All machinery must be installed according to the National Electrical Code (NEC). If machines have exposed noncurrent-carrying metal components, they have the potential to become energized and should be grounded. Control switches should be available to workers at their operating positions so they do not need to reach over moving parts of machinery. Also, machine controls must not be wedged for continuous operation.

Machines that are not adequately safeguarded to protect the worker during an undervoltage situation or a power failure must have an undervoltage protective device installed. This device prevents the machine from starting up after a power interruption, which may, in some cases, expose the worker to the hazards of moving parts.

Before performing maintenance or major adjustments to moving parts that require panels and guards be removed, all machine energy sources or energy isolating devices must be locked and/or tagged out. (Refer to the lockout/tagout chapter for more information.)

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3.3 - Machine Guarding

3.3.1 Circular, Crosscut, and Rip Saws

Guarding beneath the table level should be provided to enclose the saw blade from unintentional contact and prevent contact with moving parts of the drive mechanism. Saws must be equipped with a hood that covers the blade and automatically adjusts itself to the thickness of the material upon which it rides. The hood covers the part of the saw blade exposed above the material and is adaptable to cover tilted blades. When ripping, table saws must be provided with a spreader to prevent the wood's internal stresses from clamping down on the saw blade and an antikickback device to prevent the stock from possible kickback.

3.3.2 Radial Saws

Radial saws must be equipped with a hood that encloses the saw blade and the arbor ends. The lower section of the hood must be hinged so it rises and falls and adjusts itself automatically to the thickness of the material as the saw passes through it. An antikickback device or hold-down wheels must also be installed on saws used for ripping. The device must be adaptable to any thickness of stock.

3.3.3 Band Saws

Both upper and lower wheels must be completely enclosed on both sides. The enclosures should be capable of being removed easily to permit saw blade maintenance. The working part of a saw blade, between the guide rolls and the upper wheel enclosure, must be guarded to prevent accidental contact with the saw blade. The guard must be self-adjusting and attached to the gauge so that, in any position of the gauge, the guard completely covers the portion of the saw blade between the guide rolls and the upper wheel enclosure.

3.3.4 Jointers

Each hand-fed planer and jointer with a horizontal or vertical head should be equipped with a cylindrical cutting head, the knife projection of which must not exceed 0.125 inch (0.31 centimeters) beyond the cylindrical body of the head. Also, jointers with front-table-mounted fences must be equipped with an adjustable device to prevent thin stock from slipping laterally under the portion of the fence at the rear of the table. An automatic guard must be provided that covers the section of the cutter head near the operator (on the working side of the fence) and contacts the wood to prevent any opening from remaining between the guard and wood during the operation. The guard should also cover the section of the cutter head on the nonworking side of the fence, especially when the fence is moved toward the automatic guard. The guard over the section of the cutting head on the rear side of the fence should consist of a sliding metal shield that automatically adjusts to the exposed length of the cutter head.

3.3.5 Power Feed Planers

Guards must be provided for feed rolls, cutting heads, and hold-down rolls at the discharge end. Feed rolls should be guarded by a metal strip in front of the rolls under which the material may pass. This prevents an operator's fingers from being drawn into the rolls while feeding the machine. Where the top roll is corrugated, the strip should extend over the top of the roll. Cutting heads and discharge rolls must be guarded by a solid metal enclosure of substantial construction. The hood of an exhaust system may form part or all of the enclosure. When other than corrugated top feed rolls are used, an antikickback device should be installed.

3.3.6 Shapers

Shapers must be equipped with a braking device that brings the cutting head to a stop within 10 seconds after power is shut off. Cutting heads must be enclosed by a guard. The guard must not be less than the greatest diameter of the cutter. Whenever possible, hold downs and jigs should be used to limit exposure of hands to cutters. It is good practice when a blade is removed from a spindle for sharpening, or for some other purpose, that all other blades be removed at the same time.

3.3.7 Lathes

Rotating, cutter-head type lathes must be provided with a hinged metal shield or hood that completely covers the knives and material when the machine is in operation. Exhaust system hoods may be included as part of the guard if they comply with standard guard designs. Automatic lathes should be equipped with a brake that brings the rotating material to a quick, but not instantaneous, stop after the power is shut off.

3.3.8 Sanding Machines

Feed rolls of self-feed sanding machines should be protected with a semicylindrical guard to prevent hands from coming in contact with the in-running rolls at any point. The guard and its mounting should be designed to remain in adjustment for any thickness of stock. Drum/disk sanding machines should have an exhaust hood, or other guard, so arranged as to enclose the revolving drum/disk, except for the working portion of the drum/disk above the table. Belt sanding machines should be provided with guards at each nip point. These guards must effectively prevent hands or fingers from coming in contact with the nip points. The unused run of the sanding belt must be guarded against accidental contact.

3.3.9 Boring and Mortising Machines

The top of the driving mechanism must be enclosed.

3.3.10 Tenoning Machines

Feed chains and sprockets of double end tenoning machines must be completely enclosed, except for that portion of chain used for conveying the stock. Sprockets and chains must be guarded at the sides by plates projecting beyond the periphery of sprockets and the ends of lugs at the rear ends of frames over which feed conveyors run. Each tenoning machine that has cutting heads and saws must be covered by metal guards when used. These guards should cover at least the unused part of the periphery of the cutting head. Where an exhaust system is used, the guard may form part or all of the exhaust hood.

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