OSHA Strikes Again!

[Charles (in GA)]

First. Why weren't they guarded in the first place?
Edit: appears the manufacturer didn't provide guarding. How old is the equipment? Who is the manufacturer?

Second. Contact the equipments manufacturer. They likely have a solution in place, if the equipments not that old.

Third. If the manufacturer is of no help or out of business, there are some aftermarket machine guard manufacturers. You can easily Google a few or just look in the ads from what ever safety periodicals you subscribe to.

Fourth. Machine guarding is a current pet peeve of many inspectors. As the requirements have been in place for awhile, with in many cases a flagrant disregard of adherence. Lack of awareness isn't an excuse. Variance waivers can be obtained in certain circumstances, but it's extremely unlikely after being caught in noncompliance.

Fifth. Now that they're looking. It would be a good idea to have a managerial meeting to discuss compliance with current safety standards and programs.

If you need any help, feel free to ask.

Look at the OP's signature line......................

Warner & Swasey 3A turret lathe, dated late 1940's

W&S haven't been around in a while.

Charles

 

[2007markb]

The equipment is going on 70 years old and there was never any guards in place from the get go. Warner and swasey is out of business, but a cleveland based company specializes in these lathes. I contacted them at first and they have nothing. I have found guards online. Basically its a retractable curtain that moves back and forth with the carriages. Both carriages are always moving depending on what im making, so nothing can be mounted in a fixed location. Total cost is $6000 for three retractable guards. Already been purchased and will be installed as soon as they arrive. My concern is that when we emailed, to keep a track on conversations with the inspector, he couldnt give us a definitive answer on whether it will be compliant or not. And yes, we sent photos and a link to the mfgs website. I dont care about spending the money, it is what it is, but what if he comes back in for the compliance recheck and says it doesnt pass. Dont mind spending it, but i also dont want to waste it.

 

[2007markb]

@roots - sounds like a great idea. We did email the website link, which states OSHA compliant, to the inspector and we got an "ill have to look at it after installation." But i think getting a document with the companies letterhead stating that these products are compliant is an outstanding idea. Thanks!

 

[2007markb]

@helterskelter - my supervisor has been researching all of the violations we got cited on. A lot of their regulations can be interpreted in several ways. Does this part apply to this, or does this? You could probably get ten different inspectors and they would come up with ten different interpretations. The lathe was overhauled ten years ago, so we dont want to get rid of it. Everything we manufacture is totally different, so every item would have to be programmed for every job, plus, the company wont pay me more for doing the programming and operating the cnc. That said, ill stick with using the turret lathe at my current pay. Thanks for the input. We didnt get hit real hard by them, it could have been a lot worse if our burn table operators were there that day. All of the smoke coming off the tables would have definitely thrown a big red flag. Most of the items were small, unfortunately my piece of equipment got the largest fine. Thanks again

 

[64Trvlr]

These people(OSHA) know exactly what kind of problems they cause small bussiness,and dont care. It's all about control. Just political ********.

fify

 

[Givl Reggin]

You could probably get ten different inspectors and they would come up with ten different interpretations.

Is this my primary problem with inspections of any kind... the "human factor" of it all, if you will. It allows too much variance.

 

[Clik]

Who is John Galt?

 

[2007markb]

An Ayn Rand character........

 

[Danglerb]

I remember back in the 70's when the factory I worked at got inspected, used to call them the turd counter because they would look over the lunch area for any sign of mice. Everybody hated the guards that went in because it both blocked an area you needed to get to and could trap a finger if it got behind the guard. 20 years later the plant was sold and the whole operation moved to Mexico.

 

[2007markb]

Thats a shame about that factory, too many companies doing that

 

[Givl Reggin]

Who is John Galt?
An Ayn Rand character...

Never heard of either name.