MSHA’s Guide to

Equipment Guarding
for Metal and Nonmetal Mining
U.S. Department of Labor
Alexis M. Herman
Secretary

Mine Safety and Health Administration

J. Davitt McAteer
Assistant Secretary

Metal and Nonmetal Mine Safety and Health

Revised 1992
Reprinted 1999

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Visit our website at http://www.msha.gov
 INTRODUCTION
This following guide on the subject of mechanical safeguarding is to assist
industry, labor and inspectors of the Mine Safety and Health
Administration in obtaining uniformity throughout the mining industry.
The illustrations in this booklet show specific applications of guards using
expanded metal. This was done to simplify the drawings. In no way should
this be misunderstood to mean that all guarding must utilize expanded
metal. However, the use of expanded metal or sizing screens does have
several advantages. Some of these advantages are:

1. The area guarded can be inspected without removing the guard.

2. Grease fittings and oil cups can be placed through the openings
without cutting large holes in the guard. (Large holes should not be
cut in guards to gain access to grease fittings—grease fittings should
be extended so that lubrication can be accomplished from a safe
location.)
3. At most operations this material is readily available (e.g.,
worn screen cloth, etc.)
4. In certain circumstances, the use of expanded metal guards serves
to allow smaller particles of spilled material to pass through the guard
with minimal buildups.

This booklet contains examples of acceptable, commonly-used equipment

guards. Alternative designs are also acceptable provided the performance
requirements of the guarding standards are met.
 BASIC PRINCIPLES OF GUARDING
Standard 56/57.14107(a) specifies that:
(a) Moving machine parts shall be guarded to protect persons from
contacting gears, sprockets, chains, drive, head, tail and takeup
pulleys, flywheels, couplings, shafts, fan blades, and similar moving
parts that can cause injury.”
(b) Guards shall not be required where the exposed moving parts
are at least seven feet away from walking or working surfaces.

Many accidents result from moving machinery, and persons working on or

around machinery must be protected. The installation and maintenance of
machinery and machine guards are governing factors in controlling and
preventing accidents and injuries. In devising protection against moving
machinery and machine parts, the goal should be to make it as effective as
possible. All possible contingencies should be considered, including acts
of thoughtlessness and foolhardiness, in guarding machinery to prevent
injuries.
An effective machine guard should have certain characteristics in design
and construction. Such a guard should:
1. Be considered a permanent part of the machine or equipment.
2. Afford maximum protection.
3. Prevent access to the danger zone during operation.
4. Be convenient; it must not interfere with efficient operation.
5. Be designed for the specific job and specific machine, with
provisions made for oiling, inspecting, adjusting, and repairing
machine parts.
6. Be durable and constructed strongly enough to resist normal
wear.
7. Not present a hazard in itself.

When the installation of guards is contemplated, persons who have a

specific interest in them should be consulted. The opinion of the operator
of the machine, the supervisors, the maintenance personnel, and the oilers
should be solicited. However, it must be kept in mind that protective
guards placed around moving machinery should be positioned so the
moving equipment or pinch point which presents a hazard cannot be
reached.

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Materials for guards should be carefully selected. For most installations,
guards of bar stock, sheet metal, perforated metal, expanded metal, or
heavy wire mesh are more satisfactory than those of other materials.
The larger guards frequently are of pipe or a structural steel frame
supporting wood, solid sheet metal, or wire mesh that will provide a
positive barrier against moving parts.
Guards of wood have limited application; their lack of durability and
strength, relatively high maintenance cost, and flammability are
objectionable.
Guardrails and toeboards frequently are installed around flywheels,
hoisting equipment, etc., and are applicable to many other kinds of
mechanical equipment.

THE TECHNIQUES OF MECHANICAL GUARDING

It is recognized that in any given situation—a hazard-creating motion or
action—may frequently be guarded in a number of ways, several of which
may be satisfactory. The selection of a guarding method to be used may
depend upon a number of things—space limitations, production methods,
size of stock, frequency of use, and still other factors may be important in
making the final decision. Moving machine parts, nip points and pinch
points must be guarded individually rather than restricting access to
the areas by installing railings. It is not the intent of this guide to suggest
which method of guarding is the best for a given situation, but rather to
show that there are a number of ways to guard each different condition.
This will be done by illustrating typical situations which may be guarded
by a variety of methods.
In the following illustrations, the various motions and actions are shown
without guards; also, they are shown with typical guards illustrating the
various guarding techniques along with written explanation for your
thought and guidance. It is not possible to apply all of the guarding
techniques to all of the motions or actions, but an effort has been made to
show those that are frequently found in the mining industry.

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FIGURES 1 and 2
Figure 1 shows a self-cleaning tail pulley with an inadequate guard. This
should not be accepted as being guarded.
The guards are placed too far from pulley, leaving the fins and pinch points
exposed.

Figure 1

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This type of pulley should be totally guarded as shown in Figure 2. The
guard also covers the pinch point created by the transfer chute.

Figure 2

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FIGURES 3 and 4
The guard for the tail pulley in Figure 3 does not cover the pinch point and
therefore is not effective.
Side guards are only effective when placed close to the pulley and
extending a distance sufficient so the pinch points cannot be reached from
the front, the back or the top.
A smooth pulley can be totally enclosed, as depicted in Figure 2, or
guarded along the sides as shown in Figure 4.

Figure 3

Figure 4

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FIGURE 5
Remote areas protected by location need not be guarded. However, if work
is performed at such location as shown in Figure 5, the equipment must be
deenergized and locked out and a temporary safe means of access (ladder)
provided before any work is started.

Figure 5

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FIGURES 6 and 7
The reason for guarding return idlers is shown in Figure 6. They should be
guarded if someone could be injured while working or passing underneath
the belt. It is reasonable to expect these types of accidents where the idlers
are less than seven feet above the walking surface.
The pinch points of return idlers can be guarded in various ways.
Individual guards may be appropriate in some instances (as depicted in
Figures 7b and 7c), or a guard may prevent access to a series of return idlers
(as depicted in Figure 7a).

Figure 6

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Figure 7a shows one method of guarding return idlers. Notice that grease
fittings can be accessed without removing the guard. The mesh openings
should be large enough to allow fines to fall through, but not large enough
for a person’s hand to go through.
Figures 7b and 7c show another acceptable way of guarding return idlers.

Figure 7a

The guard can be installed with or without the end caps. The bottom of
individual guards may be left open (Figure 7c) to allow fines to fall
through, provided the pinch point which “can cause injury” is guarded.

Figure 7b Figure 7c

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FIGURES 8 and 9
An unguarded head pulley and drive unit are shown in Figure 8.

Figure 8

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Figure 9 shows the guard in place.
The head pulley guard is extended so the pinch point cannot be reached.

Figure 9

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FIGURE 10
A stop cord along a conveyor belt with a walkway is shown in Figure 10.
The stop cord must be located so that it can be reached by a person who
falls on or against the belt. The stop cord must also be sufficiently taut to
assure the conveyor drive motor will be deenergized when the cord is
pulled.
Standard 56/57.14109 should be used when the walkway is part of the
conveyor, or where persons travel alongside unguarded conveyors at
ground level.

Figure 10

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FIGURE 11
In this drawing, a railing is installed along the conveyor in lieu of a stop
cord. This may be considered as a guarded conveyor. The railing is placed
away from and slightly above the belt to prevent contact with the moving
belt.
In cases where cables are used for railings, they must be kept tight and free
of burrs.

Figure 11

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FIGURES 12 and 13
An unguarded takeup pulley is shown in Figure 12. The structure of the
conveyor should not be considered as a guard.

Figure 12

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A simple guard (as shown in Figure 13) can be installed to prevent access to
the pinch points.

Figure 13

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FIGURE 14
Serious injuries have occurred when belt dressing was being applied to
moving belts. Standard 56/57.14203 specifically states: Belt dressing
shall not be applied manually while belts are in motion, unless an
aerosol-type dressing is used. When dressing other than pressurized-type
is applied, the conveyor must be deenergized and locked out as specified in
Standard 56/57.12016.

Figure 14

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FIGURES 15 and 16
The pinch points of takeup pulleys are normally located a sufficient
distance above the ground to be “guarded by location.” They are normally
equipped with heavy counterweights which can constitute a violation of
Standard 56/57.16009, (suspended loads). The guard in Figure 15 prevents
access to this suspended load area.
Figure 16 shows a suspended conveyor with the guides blocked by a bar to
prevent the counterweight from dropping to ground level in case of belt
breakage. Cables, for additional safety, are fastened to the structure.

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FIGURES 17 and 18
Drive shafts with protruding set screws, keys and key ways (Figure 17)
shall be guarded, as shown in Figure 18.

Figure 17

Figure 18

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FIGURES 19 and 20
A power take-off shaft with universal joints is shown in Figure 19.
This type of shaft is primarily used for portable crushing equipment and
can best be guarded as shown in Figure 20.
The guard is constructed of two halves, totally enclosing the drive shaft.

Figure 19

Figure 20

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FIGURES 21 and 22
A drive coupling is shown in Figure 21.
Couplings of this type should be totally enclosed as shown in Figure 22.

Figure 21

Figure 22

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FIGURES 23 and 24
A guard for a drive belt and pulleys is shown in Figure 23. This type of
guard is adequate where the belts and pulleys are accessible from the front
only.

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However, where access is possible from both sides, the belts and pulleys
should be totally enclosed as shown in Figure 24.

Figure 24

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FIGURES 25 and 26
Whenever hazards are created by belt breakage to persons working or
traveling nearby, as shown in Figure 25, the drive should be totally
enclosed as shown in Figure 26.

Figure 25

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Figure 26

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FIGURE 27
An effective way of guarding protruding shaft ends is shown in Figure 27.
A simple sleeve with an end cap is placed over the shaft, thereby
preventing any contact.
As a rule, shaft ends, other than keyed shafts, should be guarded whenever
they protrude further than half the distance of the diameter of the shaft.
All shafts with a keyway, regardless of the distance they protrude, shall be
guarded.

Figure 27

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FIGURES 28 and 29
Fan inlets should be guarded regardless of location, not only to prevent
contact with fan blades, but where free flying blades would create a hazard.

Figure 28 Figure 29

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FIGURES 30, 31, and 32
Figure 30 shows a flywheel guarded by location (7 feet or above). A build-
up of material can, at times, place the flywheel within easy reach, as shown
in Figure 31 and therefore the flywheel should be guarded.
Where it is not necessary to totally enclose the flywheel, a guard as shown
in Figure 32 may be used.
If a build-up of material places the unguarded flywheel within reach, it
must be guarded.

Figure 30

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Figure 31

Figure 32

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FIGURE 33
Figure 33 shows a classifier which is not practical to guard individually. In
such cases, protective railings can be installed to restrict access. Classifiers
are not normally serviced while in operation.

Figure 33

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FIGURE 34
Figure 34 shows a dryer with a railing restricting access to the area. This
should not be considered as a guard, since the pinch points are exposed and
present a hazard to servicing personnel. Trunnions can be guarded in a
practical manner as shown on the following page.

Figure 34

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FIGURE 35
Figure 35 shows the trunnions with individual guards. This is an effective
way to cover the pinch points. The grease fittings can be extended through
the guard, so servicing can be done while the dryer is in motion.

Figure 35

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