Manufacturer Fined $65,000 for Machine Guarding Violation

A worker was performing a task on a machine enclosed by a frame with access gates at the front and each side. Each gate had a sensor that detected if the gate was open or closed; all the gates must be closed in order to permit motion. But a person could fit through the front gate and the safety gates weren’t designed to detect the presence of a worker inside the frame. The worker entered the machine from the front gate while the machine was powered, closing the safety gate. Another worker controlled the machine’s motion based on instructions from the worker inside the frame. While he was there, a clamp above him unexpectedly began to move and clamped down on him, causing bruising and other injuries to bones and an organ. The manufacturer pleaded guilty to a machine guarding violation. The court fined it $65,000 [QBD Cooling Systems Inc., Govt. News Release, Aug. 12, 2014].