Wind Energy: Machine Guarding

The production of a wind turbine involves thousands of parts -- gears, blades, and many other such parts. Manufacturing wind turbines, therefore, will involve machines of various configurations and may expose workers to hazards of moving parts of the machines if they are not safeguarded properly.

Additionally, the moving parts associated with the turbine if not guarded properly may have the potential to cause severe workplace injuries, such as crushed fingers or hands, amputations, burns, or blindness. Employers must ensure that the workers are protected from the machine hazards and workers should make sure that the rotating parts and points of operation of machines are properly guarded prior to using them. More information on machine guarding can be found on the OSHA website.

Some additional resources on machine guarding are provided below:

• Safeguarding Equipment and Protecting Employees from Amputations

• Machine Guarding eTool