Mechanical Power Press Safety

• Hands or body parts entering the die space during a press cycle
• Unexpected cycling from foot controls, controls, or equipment faults
• Ejected stock, scrap, tooling, or broken die components
• Crush and pinch points in feeds, straighteners, reels, and auxiliary equipment
• Safeguards, two-hand controls, or sensing devices being bypassed
• Stored mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, or spring energy during servicing

Mechanical power presses perform cutting, punching, forming, and assembly with high force. The point of operation can cause severe crushing or amputation injuries in a fraction of a second.

The press should have safeguarding appropriate to the machine, tooling, feed method, stock, and task. Guards, gates, two-hand controls, presence-sensing devices, restraints, and other systems should be used only as designed.

Operators should inspect the press and work area before use. Controls, guards, die space, feed equipment, scrap handling, clutch and brake performance, air systems, and emergency functions should be checked according to the facility's procedure.

Hands should remain out of the die space and other danger zones during operation. Approved tools may help position or remove parts, but they do not replace required safeguarding.

Foot pedals and controls should be protected from accidental activation. The operator should maintain a stable position and should not reach into the press while another person can cycle it.

Stock, scrap, slugs, and finished parts should move through the process without requiring workers to approach the point of operation. Buildup, misfeeds, double hits, damaged dies, and repeated interruptions should be corrected rather than worked around.

Die setting, adjustment, inspection, cleaning, jam clearing, and repair can expose workers to hazardous energy and gravity. The equipment-specific energy-control and blocking procedures should be followed before entering or working within the danger zone.

A press should remain out of service when a safeguard is missing or unreliable, the clutch or brake behaves abnormally, controls stick, tooling is damaged, or the press cycles unexpectedly.

• Use the required point-of-operation safeguarding.
• Inspect controls, guards, dies, feeds, and emergency functions.
• Keep hands and body parts out of the die space.
• Protect foot controls from accidental activation.
• Use approved material-handling tools without replacing guards.
• Control energy and block movement during servicing or die work.
• Stop operation when a safeguard or control is unreliable.

• What safeguard protects the point of operation for this setup?
• Can stock, scrap, and finished parts be handled without reaching into danger?
• Are controls protected against accidental cycling?
• What energy and gravity hazards exist during die or maintenance work?
• What condition would require the press to be removed from service?