Tool Safety

Tool Safety and Machine Guarding

OSHA regulations clearly address a wide variety of safety issues created when people use physical tools and machinery. These regulations include:

· Machinery and Machine Guarding

· Hand and Portable Tools

· Electrical Safety

· Control of Hazardous Energy

Additionally, the Consumer Products Safety Commission regulates tools sold to the public.

Essentially safe function is designed into the tools we use. Provided we don’t alter the tool and we follow the manufacturer’s maintenance and operating instructions, hazards of using that tool have been minimized. They aren’t gone, the rest of the hazard is in how you use it. You need to use common sense when using tools, after all, the only ‘safety hammer’ sold is only designed to break a car window and is useless to drive a nail.

EH&S is available to help your department with tool safety issues.