Glossary · Guards and machine motion
Point of operation
In machine safety, the point of operation is the location where work is performed on material, such as cutting, forming, drilling or pressing. OSHA's general machine guarding rule requires the point of operation of machines whose operation exposes an employee to injury to be guarded.
- Machine safety
- USA
In one sentence
The point of operation is where the tool meets the material; OSHA requires it to be guarded so that no part of the operator's body is in the danger zone.
Example
On a mechanical power press, the point of operation is the area between the upper and lower die, protected by a two-hand control device and a light curtain.
How it applies
- Machine safety: The point of operation is usually the hardest place to guard, because material must enter and leave it. Typical solutions combine fixed or adjustable guards with protective devices such as a two-hand control device or a safety light curtain.
- USA: Under 29 CFR 1910.212, point-of-operation guarding must prevent the operator from having any part of the body in the danger zone during the operating cycle. Machine-specific OSHA standards, for example for mechanical power presses, add detailed requirements.
- EU perspective: ISO 12100 does not use the term. European documents speak of the hazard point or hazard zone at the tool. Map the terms when writing for both markets.
- Technical documentation: Instructions should describe safe feeding methods, such as hand tools or fixtures, and forbid reaching into the point of operation.