Drill Press Guarding?
By the book OSHA could cite your company because this drill press does not have “Point of Operation” guarding (29 CFR 1910.212) and/or an unguarded shaft (29 CFR 1910.219). However, in my 50 years in the H&S and OSHA game I have never known OSHA to issue a citation for an unguarded drill press. They must see them all the time, I know I almost always do on my tours at customers. However, I was incredibly surprised last month seeing a drill press at a new woodworking customer when I saw guarding on a drill press.
If OSHA saw an unguarded drill press, I imagine your chances of a citation by OSHA is enhanced if someone were injured by a machine, especially if this machine was the cause of the injury.
Does anyone know of an instance were OSHA cited someone for an unguarded drill press? Was OSHA at the facility due to an injury on that drill press?
Comments (19)
It's pretty common to see drill presses without proper guarding around the chuck. I have had customers who've been cited in the past for not having proper guarding. I think most of them were due to the "plain sight" rule where OSHA saw it while doing their walkaround inspection of the facility for some other unrelated issue. I do know of a colleague who invited OSHA in for a consultative audit where they put this in their report to abate, but they didn't abate it in the required time frame, so the enforcement side issued them a citation. I'm not personally aware of any inspections that resulted from an injury, but I'm sure it's happened somewhere. I'd say several come from programmed inspections, too.
Nearly every site we visit and audit, we find multiple drill presses without proper guarding. It's actually fairly simple to guard, but just like horizontal lathes, people just leave them up or off due to being lazy, or assume that since the manufacturer didn't install it, then it's not required.
OSHA could cite you under 1910.212(a)(1), but not 1910.219, though. A drill press is not considered a mechanical power press.
Just a quick Google search found these OSHA citations for several drill presses (and lots of other machinery/equipment). The 2nd link is from a programmed inspection, so probably because of being in a high-hazard industry.
https://www.osha.gov/ords/imis/establishment.violation_detail?id=1542164.015&citation_id=02020
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https
://
www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/OPA/news%2520releases/OSHA20201237.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjwxNWiq8OHAxVDlYkEHVNdN-g4FBAWegQIBxAB&usg=AOvVaw1el9p0DnF7F8pT-1a4btkD
One of the manufacturing companies I worked for had a fatality the year before I arrived. They did a great job of adding all the guards before my arrival, but people still weren't using them. I could tell because there was a clean spot well above the point of work, which is exactly where the guard sat for months lol
Is there a good web link that you recommend for looking at some guarding options?
Drill presses and pedestal grinders are targets for OSHA compliance and enforcement. In my previous life (OSHA) all I had to do was casually take a picture of the unguarded drill press making sure to note if it was bolted to the floor, guarded, cord condition, and if an extension cord was used.
The machines that had debris on and around told me that it had been used in the last 30 days, and therefore valid. Interviews with employees included those in areas of possible citations where I asked what their job description was, a normal day, and what machines they used in a normal day. If not mentioned, ask them if they operated certain machines including the drill press and how often they used it to include the most recent day. Bingo. Once I had a yes, then follow up with "tell me about how he operated it, made sure it was operational and ready for use. Then zero in on the guard. If others had this, it was easy. If it didnt ask if they had ever seen a guard on a drill press. Then same questions to "management", and get them to say they have seen drill press guarding, or could identify what a guard looked like (show picture:). Now I had employer knowledge.
I remember many years ago we were partnered with our State OSHA office and they did annual inspections. One year they saw a drill press without a guard. So we did some research and found a telescoping guard. But it was to guard the drill bit from the stringer coming off and not the actual chuck itself. If my memory serves me right, I think the guard did stay on for the whole year.
Besides those long stringers that would come off the chuck were hot and very sharp.
Most of ours were missing when I first started as well. Takes a little effort to find replacements for older ones but they are out there. Where I keep hammering on is the fact employees keep removing table saw guards. Those are way harder to find replacements for. And when you do, it's almost cheaper to just buy a new saw.