Ensure the safety of your workers and the proper working condition of your machine equipment with a digital auditing solution.
Use this checklist to perform regular machine safety checks and audits on your equipment, assess the hazards they pose, and address them. You can also use this machine safety checklist to:
A machine safety checklist is a document for helping workers verify the safety of a workplace and its machinery. It can also help identify issues with machines, maintenance, and operations.
If you work with many machines, it is essential to have a machine safety checklist with you easily accessible. Maintaining and managing machine safety is critical in preventing accidents and injuries, as the consequences of a machine-related accident can be severe. According to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), one of the most common injuries to look out for when working with machines are cuts, bruises, and, worst of all amputations, which can lead to lifelong issues and death.
Following this, a machine safety checklist also serves as a document that can be referred to for managing inventories, machine parts, injuries, and other important statistics. By properly documenting all machine issues and related injuries, it can be easier to manage budget allocation, perform risk assessments, and schedule maintenance checks.
Machine guarding is another essential aspect of machine safety that a dedicated machine safety checklist can help with. Guards and barriers can prevent workers from coming into contact with dangerous machine parts or moving equipment. A machine safety checklist can help ensure that materials are not likely to be ejected from machines and cause harm, as well as damage other machines or equipment that may be nearby.
At workplaces where heavy machinery is used, there are a variety of potential hazards that employees may face. These hazards should be considered when making and filling out your machine safety checklist.
The most common hazards a machine safety checklist can help with are the following:
Your machine safety checklist can come in different forms. It can come in a multiple-selection or fill-out type depending on your needs.
Here is a list of items to include in your machine safety checklist:
Include a section to list down the machines and equipment you plan to use or inspect in your workplace. Doing so will help you conduct a more effective safety inspection, as identifying all the equipment and machinery in use can help you better estimate and address potential hazards.
This is for listing and documenting all the potential hazards associated with your machine. This section of your machine safety checklist should allow you to note everything from electrical to mechanical hazards and everything in between. Be sure to consider all possible threats and document them thoroughly. Then, assign them the proper risk level by evaluating the likelihood of an accident occurring and its potential severity.
Now that you have identified the potential hazards you might face, the next step is to develop and list down the proper safety procedures to follow for each one. This involves creating detailed instructions on how to use the equipment safely and identifying any additional safety equipment or personal protective equipment that may be necessary. It’s important to make sure these procedures are communicated clearly to all employees.
Once the machine safety checklist has been created, it’s important to conduct regular inspections to ensure that all equipment and machinery are in good working order and that all safety procedures are being followed. These inspections should be conducted at regular intervals, and any issues identified should be addressed immediately.
A machine safety checklist is often used during a machine inspection, preventive maintenance check, or equipment audit. This is how it is integrated into the common machine safety inspection:
Here is a sample report of a filled-out machine safety checklist to show you how you can use it on the field:
