OSHA Instruction October 30, 1978

March 23, 1973

OSHA PROGRAM DIRECTIVE #100-25

To: Field and National Offices

Subject: Acceptable Guarding for Circular Meat Cutting Saws: CFR Section 1910.212(a)(3)(ii)

l. Purpose. To provide guidance on the acceptable methods for guarding meat cutting saws.

2. Background

a. The reference standard requires point of operation guarding on machines which expose an employee to injury. Because there is no standard available which gives the specific details for guard requirements for meat saws, there has resulted much confusion as to what is acceptable guarding.

b. It is understood that the appropriate organizations in the meat industry are presently developing standards. Until these are available, the following policy shall be followed.

3. Interpretation. A circular meat cutting saw shall be guarded in one of the following ways:

a. A suspended counter balanced circular meat cutting saw that requires two-handed operation shall be deemed adequately guarded, if provided with a guard that covers at least 25 degrees of the circumference of the blade and it conforms to the requirements in d below.

b. A suspended counter balanced circular meat cutting saw that requires only one-handed operation shall be deemed adequately guarded, if provided with a guard that covers at least 90 degrees of the circumference of the blade and it conforms to the requirements in d below.

c. A nonsuspended circular meat saw, either one hand or two-handed operation, shall be deemed adequately guarded if provided with a guard that covers at least 120 degrees of the circumference of the blade and it conforms with the requirements in d below.

d. All circular meat cutting saws shall conform to the following:

(1) A "dead man" control(s) shall be required.

(2) The guard protecting the operator from contact with the blade shall be located between the operator and the blade.

(3) The minimum number of degrees of circumferential guarding of the blade shall be provided based on specific applications in meat cutting operations.

(4) A brake that automatically activates upon release of the operating control(s) is recommended.

4. Effective Date. This instruction is effective immediately, and will remain in effect until canceled or superseded.

Director, Office of Standards

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