Appendix F – General Machine Guarding Inspection Checklist
Inspector Name:
Date of Inspection:
Building:
Room Number:
Department:
Finding
Question
Yes
No
N/A
General Guarding Safety
1
Effectiveness of
Safeguards
Do the safeguards prevent workers hands, arms,
and other body parts from making contact with
dangerous moving parts?
2
Safeguard
Installation
Are the safeguards firmly secured and not easily
removable?
3
Machine Protection
Do the safeguards prevent objects from falling into
or contacting moving parts?
4
Safe Machine
Operation
Do the safeguards permit safe, comfortable, and
relatively easy operation of the machine?
5
Machine
Lubrication
Can machinery be lubricated without removing the
safeguards?
6
General Machine
Controls
Are starting and stopping controls within easy reach
of the operator?
7
Posting of Safety
Signage
Are safety signs (danger, warning, or caution, etc.)
posted where necessary?
8
Fixed Machine
Anchoring
Are all machines designed for a fixed location
securely anchored to prevent movement?
9
Standard Operating
Procedures (SOP)
Are SOPs for each machine available and is the
information up to date?
10
Area and Machine
Access
Is the shop or room where machinery is located
secured against unauthorized users and access?
Point of Operation Safety
11
Point of Operation
Guarding
Is point of operation guarding installed on the
machine?
12
Guarding
Effectiveness
Does the guarding keep the operator's hands,
fingers, and/or body out of the danger area?
13
Evidence of
Tampering
Is there evidence that the safeguards have been
tampered with or removed?
14
Cutting Tool
Condition
Are blades, bits, and other cutting tools sharp and
free of damage?
Mechanical Power Transmission Safety
15
Unguarded Gears,
Pulleys, or
Flywheels
Are there any unguarded gears, sprockets, pulleys,
or flywheels on the machine?
16
Exposed
Belts/Chains
Are there any exposed belts or chain drives?
17
Exposed Set Screws
Are there any exposed set screws, keyways, collars,
etc.?
Machine Guarding Policy for Academic & Research Operations
2
18
Overall Mechanical
Power
Transmission
Guarding
Are safeguards provided for all hazardous moving
parts of the machine, including auxiliary parts?
Electrical Safety
19
Machine
Grounding
Is the machine properly grounded?
20
GFCI Protection
Is GFCI protection installed for machinery where
required?
21
Area Free of
Electrical Hazards
Is the area free of recognized electrical hazards that
are likely to cause death or serious physical harm?
(Ex. missing knockouts, missing circuit breakers,
missing/broken/damaged covers, exposed live
electrical components, open/unlocked electrical
panels, etc.)
Housekeeping
22
Walking Surface
Hazards
Is the shop floor free from slip, trip, and fall
hazards (water, oil, debris, etc.)?
23
Machine
Cleanliness
Are all machines free of debris?
24
Safe Material
Storage
Are shop materials, including scrap, stored in a safe
manner?
25
Shop Tool Storage
Are shop tools safely stored away and not left on
machines?
Training
26
Guard Training
Do operators have the training for how to properly
use safeguards?
27
Guard Function
Have operators been trained in where the
safeguards are located, how they provide
protection, and what hazards they protect against?
28
PPE Training
Has personal protective equipment training been
provided where needed?
Findings, Comments, & Corrective Actions
The Machine Guarding Inspection in BioRAFT should be used to document inspections. This form
may be utilized in the laboratory with results transferred to the BioRAFT inspection afterwards.
The BioRAFT inspection may also be accessed directly from a tablet or other mobile device.
