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The use of safety devices and safety controls at industrial machine work stations.

Etherton JR

Handbook of human factors. Salvendy G, ed. New York: Wiley, 1987 Jan; :861-875

00177993

Safety devices and controls for industrial machine work stations were discussed. Machine safety devices from the human factors designer's point of view were considered. Industrial machines are hazardous because they perform energy transfers that are too great for humans to tolerate. Acute traumatic injuries, such as amputations, can result. In 1982, NIOSH estimated that machine operators suffered 2400 amputations (mostly fingers) and 24800 fractures. Human work tasks and using machine safeguards were discussed. While working near machines workers make a variety of reaching movements that could place them in a danger zone. Task design should be involved when considering expected hazards posed by industrial machines. A reliable safeguard should be selected for protecting workers exposed frequently to machine hazards. Tasks associated with industrial machines were summarized. Standards for safeguarding industrial machines were described. Safeguarding methods for various types of industrial machines were reviewed. Human factors concerns with machine safeguards were discussed. Human factors items for use with safeguard training were considered. The author concludes that when human factors are taken into account in selecting, designing, and installing safety devices on industrial machines, the device will be accepted by the user and used properly, and injury will be avoided.

Industrial-safety; Ergonomics; Industrial-equipment; Equipment-design; Machine-guarding; Work-analysis; Accident-prevention