Machine Safety Checklist

Walk each work center and confirm fixed guards on shears, presses, lathes, mills, and rotating shafts are bolted in place and undamaged. Reference the machine's guarding spec in the OEM manual; field-fabricated guards must match the OSHA 1910.212 general requirements (point of operation, ingoing nip points, rotating parts, flying chips/sparks).

Open each interlocked guard with the machine in cycle and verify motion stops within the manufacturer's stated stop time. Bypassed or taped-over interlocks are a citable OSHA finding and a common amputation root cause.

Roll up the guarding inspection into a single result. Mark Fail for any missing, damaged, or bypassed guard — that triggers a red-tag and CAR in the closeout section.

Attach photos of cracked Lexan, bent sheet metal, or operator-modified guards. Photos become the evidence packet for the corrective action and the basis for any tooling or guard replacement PO.

OSHA 1910.147 requires a written, machine-specific procedure identifying every energy source (electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic, stored mechanical, thermal). Generic plant-wide LOTO documents do not satisfy the standard.

Pull the LOTO training matrix from the LMS or training binder. Annual retraining is required for authorized employees; new-hire and contractor training must be on file before any energy isolation work.

Check each disconnect, valve, and bleed point for the right device type, legible tag, and individual locks (no shared keys). Missing or generic locks fail the audit and require same-shift replacement from the LOTO station.

Walk one authorized employee through the full sequence on a randomly selected machine: notify, shutdown, isolate, lock, release stored energy, verify zero-state. Skipping the try-out (verification step) is the most common LOTO procedure deviation in field audits.

Cycle the machine, hit the e-stop, confirm motion stops and the reset is required to restart. Test palm buttons, foot e-stops, and pull cords on conveyors. A stuck or painted-over mushroom button is a recordable finding.

Verify exits are unobstructed, signage is illuminated, and aisle widths meet the posted EAP. Pallet stacks creeping into egress paths are the most common 5S-related egress finding.

Check kit contents against the ANSI Z308.1 list, confirm nothing is past expiration, and run each plumbed eyewash for 60 seconds (ANSI Z358.1 weekly activation). Note any kit that is short stock for replenishment.

Verify the Emergency Response Plan, evacuation map, assembly point, and after-hours contact list are posted at each entrance and break room. Outdated supervisor names on these postings are a common gotcha after personnel changes.

Match observed PPE against the station's JSA: cut-resistant gloves at trim, side-shield safety glasses everywhere, hearing protection above the 85 dBA boundary, metatarsal boots at press lines. Sleeves, jewelry, and untied hair near rotating equipment are immediate-correction items.

Pick three machines and verify each operator on shift has equipment-specific training on file — forklifts (1910.178), cranes, and any machine with documented authorization requirements. Counterbalance certification does not transfer to reach trucks; treat each truck class as a separate authorization.

Ask an operator to pull up the current-rev work instruction and the SDS for any chemical at their station. HazCom gaps usually surface here when a new solvent or coolant has been introduced without an updated SDS binder.

Ask the operator to describe the last near-miss they reported and what changed afterward. Silence on this question is itself a finding — it indicates the reporting system is not trusted or not used.

Apply a red Out-of-Service tag at the disconnect, lock the disconnect open, and notify the shift supervisor and maintenance lead before leaving the area. The machine stays down until maintenance verifies the e-stop circuit and a re-test passes.

Create the CAR in the QMS with the photo evidence, owner, target close date, and effectiveness check criteria. CARs closed without an effectiveness verification (defect-free run for a defined cycle count or a follow-up audit) are the most common reason the same finding repeats next quarter.

Capture the EHS coordinator's overall disposition, narrative findings for the management review, and a digital signature for the audit record. This record feeds the layered process audit (LPA) rollup and ISO 45001 surveillance evidence.