The hazards posed by an unguarded machine are obvious: in the worst of all cases the machine can do to your body parts what it’s doing to the materials it’s designed to cut, shape, or form.

One of the major goals of OSHA is to guard all machinery and equipment to eliminate hazards created by points of operation, ingoing nip points, rotating points, and flying chips and sparks.

The words “shall be guarded” apply to most machines and equipment the University uses. Some machines require specific guarding methods and all machines are regulated by the general requirements.