The point of operation is the area on a machine where work is actually performed on the material, such as cutting, shaping, punching or forming, and it must be guarded.
The point of operation is the area on a machine where work is actually performed on the material being processed, such as where a saw cuts, a press punches or bends metal, a drill bores or a shear slices. Because this is where the machine applies its greatest force to the workpiece, it is one of the most dangerous areas of any machine and a common source of amputations.
OSHA's general machine guarding standard, 29 CFR 1910.212(a)(3), requires the point of operation of machines whose operation exposes an employee to injury to be guarded. The guard must prevent the operator from having any part of their body in the danger zone during the operating cycle.
On a press brake, the point of operation is between the punch and the die where sheet metal is bent. The shop installs a light curtain so the ram stops if the operator's hands break the beam while the brake is cycling.
It is any guard or safeguarding device that prevents a worker's body from entering the area where the machine works on the material while the machine is running.
Yes, when correctly installed at the proper safety distance and integrated into a control system that reliably stops the machine before a hand can reach the danger zone.
It concentrates the machine's cutting, crushing or shearing force exactly where an operator's hands tend to be when feeding or positioning material.
Part of SafetyIQ's EHS glossary: plain-English definitions of workplace health and safety terms.
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