Frequently Asked Questions 

A risk assessment is an in-depth look into a machine's safety. All hazards and control circuits are analyzed. The customer gets an assessment of the machine’s hazard level without any guarding, with its current guarding and with the addition of any suggested guarding. Existing guarding is examined, and faults are introduced to ensure desired performance. Suggestions for bringing the machine into compliance are included.

A conformance audit is a general overview of a machine’s safety. A conformance audit does a visual inspection of hazards, guarding and safety controls. This is a limited document in its scope and provides the client with a general overview as to whether the machine is in compliance with OSHA/ANSI regulations. There is no review of the machines’ wiring, schematics, or control circuits.  

OSHA 1910.212(a) states “One or more methods of machine guarding shall be provided to protect the operator and other employees from hazards…” Protecting employees from machine hazards is mandatory. However, if not properly identified, these hazards will continue to exist, as will risk to the employee. That is why a machine guarding risk assessment is an integral part of any safety plan. The risk assessment will identify the hazards on your machines so that you can make them safe for your employees and prioritize which machines are the most dangerous and need to be addressed first. 

The value of a faux OSHA inspection is threefold. First, the inspection will identify areas in your facility or job site that may be unsafe. Second, the inspection will make you aware of regulations you might not have been familiar with, such as needing a handrail on steps with four or more risers, toe board size requirements or that E-Stops require a red operator with yellow background. And third, having MASC Safety find violations for you (if corrected) will save you from potential hefty OSHA fines.

OSHA requires that companies provide annual training on topics appropriate to the job/facility. This training should include certain standard topics such as slips, trips and falls, bloodborne pathogens and fire safety.

There are a lot of codes out there! OSHA lists dozens in the front of CFR 1910 that are enforceable through the General Duty clause (USC CFR 654, 5(a)1). Which ones to follow in some ways depends on the type of services your company provides. However, all industries must follow OSHA, (especially CRF1910), ANSI (especially B.11), and National Electric Code. If your facility has robots, then you must also follow ANSI RIA 15.06. MASC can help you navigate the many codes of regulations to determine what is required.