Procter Machine Guarding is offering a free Safety Distance Calculator for establishing the required safety distances and heights of machine guards in accordance with BS EN 294, 'Safety of machinery - Safety distances to prevent danger zones being reached by the upper limbs'.

The Safety Distance Calculator is remarkably intuitive, with drop-down menus from which the user selects the application risk level (high or low), the horizontal distance to the hazard and the height of the hazard. In response, the calculator immediately displays the required height for the protective structure.

Additionally, the calculator gives the safety distances for

slots, round, square and irregularly shaped apertures through which a person could reach.

Full instructions are provided on how to use the Safety Distance Calculator, and there are 'Help' buttons and notes about the minor differences between the Safety Distance Calculator and BS EN 294 (the Safety Distance Calculator is designed to always give a 'safe' result). Indeed, the Safety Distance Calculator is easier to use than the BS EN 294 standard and eliminates the ambiguities contained therein.

Although it is based on a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, no knowledge of this software package is required in order to use the Calculator. All of the calculations are performed automatically, leaving the user to select values from just three drop-down menus and decide whether the application is low or high risk (it is recommended that a risk assessment is always performed - for which Procter Machine Guarding offers a free Risk Assessment Calculator).

If users require further assistance with calculating safety distances, Procter Machine Guarding can either help directly or put the users in touch with appropriate experts.

You can download the Safety Distance Calculator here, or if you prefer, request a copy by sending your email address to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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