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Machine guarding is often viewed as a physical barrier between a worker and a moving part. Fixed metal guards, fencing, or interlocked gates that physically keep employees away from hazardous motion are often the first things that come to mind. These safeguards are essential, but they are not the only options.
Continue reading “Machine Guarding: Protection Beyond Physical Barriers”
In manufacturing, downtime is a direct hit to productivity, profitability, employee safety, and resource efficiency. When machines sit idle because an operator is unavailable, parts are loaded inconsistently, or manual handoffs slow the process, production schedules suffer and waste increases.
Continue reading “Safety & Sustainability: How Automated Machine Tending Reduces Downtime”
Every piece of machinery comes with its own benefits and hazards. Using guards and devices to shield hazardous areas of a machine is essential to protect workers, prevent accidents, and comply with the Occupational Safety & Health Administration’s (OSHA) regulations, as well as American National Standards Institute (ANSI) consensus standards on industrial machine guarding and overall machine safety.
Continue reading “Industrial Safety: 5 Machine Guarding Solutions to Protect Your Employees”
Robotic systems are designed to perform unsafe, dangerous, and repetitive tasks that require movement of material, parts, tools, or other devices through set motions. With so many applicable functions, it’s clear why standard robotics have been a part of the industrial process for decades and will continue to be utilized in the future. More additions bring more success stories, updated standards, and a basic roadmap for robotic implementation in your facility.
Whether you have already identified pain points that could be solved with the introduction of industrial robots or your staff is simply excited by the idea of adding standard robotics to daily operations, you likely have questions when it comes to next steps. The most successful deployments follow a repeatable process of research, preparation, implementation, training, and documentation.
Continue reading “So, Your Facility Wants to Get a Robot. Now What?”
Machine guarding is one of the most important safeguards in industrial workplaces, yet it remains one of the most frequently cited violations during OSHA inspections. Proper machine guarding is essential for protecting workers from hazards such as rotating components, pinch points, flying debris, and moving mechanical parts. Even when equipment appears to be operating normally, inadequate or poorly designed safeguards can expose employees to serious injury risks.
Many facilities assume that machinery purchased from manufacturers already meets safety requirements. However, OSHA ultimately places the responsibility for machinery guarding on the employer. Equipment may arrive with protective features installed, but the final responsibility for ensuring a machinery guard is appropriate for the equipment’s location, operation, and maintenance procedures rests with the facility operating the equipment. Changes in layout, process flow, or maintenance access can create hazards that were not considered when the equipment was originally designed. Continue reading “Is My Machine Guarding Working Well and Safe?”
Each year, OSHA releases its list of the most frequently cited standards, and consistently near the top are Machine guarding and Lock out/tag out (LOTO) violations. These citations are not minor paperwork errors. They are often tied to serious injuries, amputations, or fatalities resulting from uncontrolled hazardous energy or exposure to moving machine parts.
Understanding why these areas continue to generate citations is critical for employers seeking to reduce risk and maintain compliance. Continue reading “Why Machine Guarding and Lockout/Tagout Are the Most Cited OSHA Violations”
In manufacturing, we know that safety is about what happens on the floor, not just what’s written in a binder. As we move into 2026, a few key deadlines and enforcement rules are coming to a head.
At Conversion Technology Inc. (CTI), we want to make sure you know what’s coming down the pipeline so you can stay on top of things before they become an issue. Continue reading “What to Expect in 2026 – Manufacturing Safety: Straight Talk on the New Deadlines”
Conversion Technology Inc. (CTI) is an environmental, health, and safety (EHS) Consulting firm located in Norcross, GA. We have been in business since 1986 working with clients across all industries.
CTI specializes in maintaining sawmills in compliance with Environmental and Safety rules and regulations. The following is a partial list of consulting services that we provide to our sawmill clients: Continue reading “Maintaining Sawmills in Compliance with Environmental and Safety Rules and Regulations”
Assessing and understanding machine risks, essential safeguarding techniques, and the safety standards that govern the manufacturing sector are critical to avoiding workplace injury, regulatory penalties and operational disruptions.
In modern manufacturing environments, every machine — old or new — can pose hidden hazards. This article lays out a structured approach to machine risk assessment, compliance with ANSI/OSHA standards, and ongoing audits. By proactively assessing risks, implementing tailored safeguards, and embedding safety into operations, facilities can prevent injuries, avoid regulatory citations, and minimize costly downtime. This is not just compliance — it’s operational excellence with a human focus.
Don’t gamble with machine safety — let your operations run with confidence.
If you’d like help adapting these principles to your facility, drafting a machine risk assessment plan, or selecting appropriate safeguarding technologies, we’d be happy to assist. Please contact CTI at (770) 263-6330 to ask about how we can help with your machine safety.
Adam Haroz, our Director of Engineering, will be presenting at this year’s International Robotics Safety Conference (IRSC) in October. He is presenting on OSHA’s Training for Robot Safety, of which he was the team lead who prepared and presented that training to the Department of Labor.
Click for more information https://www.automate.org/events/international-robot-safety-conference-2023/speakers#adam-haroz
