Free Guide to Workshop Safety

Procter Machine Guarding is publishing a new FREE Guide to Workshop Safety that will benefit anyone responsible for the safety of machinery and work equipment.

Packed with advice, hints and tips, the guide includes sections on the following topics: costs and benefits; regulations and legislation; general requirements for machine guards; specific machine types; other measures relating to machinery safety; standards; official information and guidance; useful resources; and sources of further information.

Workshops are encountered in a diverse range of industrial, commercial, educational and other establishments, not just within manufacturing companies. While some workshops contain a considerable number and variety of machinery, others have little more than a drill press and a set of hand tools. In all cases, however, it is important to ensure that adequate safeguards are in place, as machinery is frequently involved with accidents resulting in minor, serious and even fatal injuries. Statistics from the HSE for 2007/08 show that contact with moving machinery was responsible for significant numbers of injuries and fatalities in the manufacturing industries alone. While not all of these will have involved workshop machinery, the figures nevertheless highlight how dangerous machinery can be: 1934 out of 20,618 over-three-day injuries (9%); 822 out of 5097 non-fatal major injuries (16%); and 11 out of 34 fatalities (32%).

Most machine-related accidents involve operators loading or unloading components, removing swarf, taking measurements or making adjustments (to the coolant supply, for example). Under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, employers are required to take effective measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery or stop their movement before any part of a person enters a danger zone. The new guide from Procter Machine Guarding explains what can be done to comply with the regulations in a cost-effective manner.

To request a free copy of the Guide to Workshop Safety, email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or telephone 02920 855758.