Why is machinery safety important?

Moving machinery can cause injuries in many ways:

What do I have to do?

Before you start

Before you start using any machine you need to think about what risks may occur and how these can be managed. You should therefore do the following:

Make sure the machine is:

Also, make sure you identify and deal with the risks from:

Preventing access to dangerous parts

Think about how you can make a machine safe. The measures you use to prevent access to dangerous parts should be in the following order. In some cases it may be necessary to use a combination of these measures:

Case study

A company were prosecuted after a worker received horrific injuries, almost severing his left arm when using a cross-cut saw.

What caused the accident?

The nose guard had not been set correctly because training was inadequate. The worker had no previous experience and had only 5 minutes' training on the saw. This did not include any instruction about the saw guards and how to adjust them properly. In addition, the saw was unsuitable for training purposes.

Other things you should consider

Dos and don'ts of machinery safety for workers

Do…

Don't…

Find out more

The law

Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER)

Updated 2022-09-06