Requirement
State what the complete solution must achieve for safeguarding existing machinery for machine safety reviews and action plans, including your production pattern and who will review the result.
Machine guarding and safety
Machine Safety Audits Specification Checklist
Use this practical checklist to describe your requirements for machine safety audits around the actual machine, operator tasks, access needs and stopping behaviour, line connections and required results.
A useful specification for machine safety audits describes your operating range, line connections and required results while leaving room for the supplier to propose the best method.
Use this checklist for safeguarding existing machinery for machine safety reviews and action plans and separate confirmed facts, realistic ranges and items that need a trial.
On the production floor
Describe what the complete process needs to achieve — Machine Safety Audits
Plan machine safety audits around your machine hazards, operator tasks, access, stopping behaviour and validation evidence. Discuss a site-specific safeguarding concept with Oxford Machine Guarding. A clear brief should state the operating range for hazards and foreseeable access for machine safety reviews & action plans and your requirements for risk-reduction and validation evidence.
Discuss your application
Your checklist
Application, operation and results
Product, part or pack
Operation and interfaces
Results and support
Write measurable requirements
For Machine Safety Audits, turn each checklist item into a range and a test
Range
Record normal and credible extremes for hazards and foreseeable access for machine safety reviews & action plans, machine motion and stopping behaviour and operating, cleaning and maintenance tasks; avoid relying on one nominal value.
Check
Define representative examples from safeguarding existing machinery for machine safety reviews and action plans, the method, repetitions, acceptable range and result record so you and the supplier share the same expectation.
For machine safety audits, use “shall” only for a requirement that can be demonstrated. Keep preferences, assumptions, provisional line connections and future options clearly separate.
Connected responsibilities
Be clear about what sits around your machine safety audits
Your final machine safety audits scope must also account for space, visibility and operator ergonomics, risk-reduction and validation evidence, current regulations and the conditions at your site.
- Current standards and required performance levels must be assessed for the complete machine and intended use.
- A site survey and task-based risk assessment are required before a safeguard is selected.
- Mechanical changes can affect access, visibility, cleaning and machine operation.