Machine Safety in the Workplace

Overview

All industries use machines and need to be aware of machine safety.

Machine related injuries and fatalities are a major concern across industries. Machines are essential to many work tasks. They have built-in capabilities like motion, force, high temperature, and other energy sources, which contribute to its potential for causing harm.

Machine safety begins with understanding the nature of the machine's operation. Some machines are designed to execute unchanging tasks, while others might operate continuously until completion. Additionally, certain machines function automatically, while others perform various functions on command. Understanding the specific characteristics and modes of operation of each machine is fundamental to machine safety.

Terms to know

Contact injury

The occupational safety and health industry define injury types by how they happen. A contact injury is an injury caused by contact with another device, machine or surface. Most machine injuries are contact injuries. A machine may cause a contact injury if it is on or off.

There are different kinds of contact injuries, including:

• Caught-in (caught-in or caught-between a moving part)
• Avulsions (removal of skin)
• Amputations (loss of an appendage, even a fingertip)
• Burns
• Crushes
• Falls
• Hits to the machine or other devices or surfaces

Safeguards

Safeguards are protections or actions taken to guard, protect, prevent, or lessen the severity of an injury. Not all safeguards offer complete protection by themselves. How a safeguard interacts with the worker and process as a whole determines an effective safeguard.

Controlling exposures to hazards in the workplace is vital to protecting workers. The hierarchy of controls is a way of determining which actions will best control exposures. For more information, see: Hierarchy of Controls | NIOSH | CDC

Robots

Robots are machines or automated technologies that can perform a series of actions.

Facts

2018-2022: 3,677 workers were killed by contact with objects and equipment.

In 2022

• There were 5,846 fatalities, and 2,066 were transportation related.
• Fatalities that were likely machinery related (contact with objects and equipment) accounted for 738 out of 5,846 total (12.6%).

For more information about machine related fatalities: Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Summary 2022

Safety risks

Whether it is through cutting, pressing, moving, or exerting force, machines have risks that include sharp edges, heat, power, chemicals, and other hazards. These features can be essential for machines to complete tasks. These hazards are built-in, so it is important to use safeguards to mitigate the risk of injury. For example:

• A forklift needs to move and lift
• A hydraulic press used in manufacturing is designed to apply significant force to shape or mold materials

Some industries at risk are more obvious like manufacturing, construction, machine shops with metalworking equipment, or woodshops with woodworking equipment. However, convenience, gas, food stores, department stores warehouses and others have ice machines, bagel slicers, meat slicers, washing machines, and many others that change our daily home and work lives.

Best practices

Employers should:

• Safeguard any machine part, function, or process that might cause injury when possible.
• Follow government regulations, specific state industry standards, and insurance requirements.
• Educate employees on machine safety for the machines they use.

Workers should:

• Follow machine safety guidelines for the machines they use.
• Stay up to date on safety training.
• Pay attention to the task when operating any machinery.

Resources

Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Reports

Review machine related NIOSH FACE and State FACE reports for recommendations to prevent similar deaths in CDC Stacks.

View by Collection (NIOSH/FACE) or search for reports using keywords in the search bar.