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U.S. Department of Labor
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Occupation Safety & Health Administration
The Curtis Center
170 S. Independence Mall West
Suite 740 West
Philadelphia, PA 19106-3309
Office: (215) 861-4900
Fax: (215) 861-4904
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July 1, 2002
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Dear Employer:
OSHA is conducting a National Emphasis Program (NEP) to discuss the hazards associated
with unguarded machinery. Failure to properly guard machinery is a primary cause of
amputations suffered by workers. National injury data shows that saws, shears, slicers,
and presses are the machines frequently causing amputations. The operation of these
machine types can be extremely dangerous, and injuries often result in permanent
disability - even death. OSHA's inspection history indicates that employee exposure
to unguarded or inadequately guarded machines occur in many workplaces. This NEP
will focus on those industries that have experienced a high number of amputations
or are likely to have the types of machinery causing these injuries.
All OSHA offices throughout the country will be participating in this National
Emphasis Program. There are two components to this NEP: outreach and enforcement.
During the outreach phase, we will provide affected employers with guidance and
information on how to identify amputation hazards and on how to comply with OSHA's
machine guarding standards. Extensive compliance assistance materials are available
on the OSHA Internet site at www.osha.gov.
Click on the letter "M" in the index section and select machine guarding. If you
do not have access to the Internet, but would like to view compliance assistance
materials, please contact any OSHA office listed on the enclosed sheet.
Additionally, you may want to take advantage of your state's free, on-site consultation
service. For those employers who request this service, a consultant will visit the
company at no cost and help the employer identify and correct specific hazards.
Consultants do not issue citations and penalties, and their written reports are
strictly confidential. The employer's only obligation is to correct all serious hazards.
On-site consultation assistance is only available to companies with fewer than 250
employees. Enclosed is a list of agencies that provide this free service.
We will begin the enforcement phase of this NEP on October 1, 2002. Unannounced,
random inspections will be conducted in manufacturing business where saws, shears,
slicers, and power presses of all types are present. The OSHA inspector will review
the company's illness/injury logs for amputation injuries and will conduct a thorough
inspection of the machines. Inspections will routinely be limited to hazards
associated to saws, shears, slicers, and power presses. However, the inspector may
expand the scope of the inspection if other hazards or violations are observed
during the walkaround or documented on the logs. If none of the targeted machinery
is present and the logs do not show any amputation injuries, the inspector will
exit the facility.
All of our offices are available to answer any questions you may have about this
National Emphasis Program. Please don't hesitate to call on us. Your support for
safety in the workplace is always welcomed and appreciated.
Sincerely,
RICHARD D. SOLTAN
Regional Administrator
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