What are the sources of amputations
in the workplace?
Amputations are some of the most serious and
debilitating workplace injuries. They are
widespread and involve a variety of activities and
equipment. Amputations occur most often when
workers operate unguarded or inadequately
safeguarded mechanical power presses, power
press brakes, powered and non-powered
conveyors, printing presses, roll-forming and rollbending
machines, food slicers, meat grinders,
meat-cutting band saws, drill presses, and milling
machines as well as shears, grinders, and
slitters. These injuries also happen during
materials handling activities and when using
forklifts and doors as well as trash compactors
and powered and non-powered hand tools.
Besides normal operation, the following activities
involving stationary machines also expose
workers to potential amputation hazards: settingup,
threading, preparing, adjusting, cleaning,
lubricating, and maintaining machines as well as
clearing jams.
What types of machine components
are hazardous?
The following types of mechanical components
present amputation hazards:
Point of operation—the area of a machine
where it performs work on material.
Power-transmission apparatuses—
flywheels, pulleys, belts, chains, couplings,
spindles, cams, and gears in addition to
connecting rods and other machine
components that transmit energy.
Other moving parts—machine components
that move during machine operation such as
reciprocating, rotating, and transverse moving
parts as well as auxiliary machine parts.
What kinds of mechanical motion are
hazardous?
All mechanical motion is potentially hazardous.
In addition to in-running nip points (“pinch
points”)—which occur when two parts move
together and at least one moves in a rotary or
circular motion that gears, rollers, belt drives,
and pulleys generate—the following are the most
common types of hazardous mechanical motion:
Rotating—circular movement of couplings,
cams, clutches, flywheels, and spindles as well
as shaft ends and rotating collars that may grip
clothing or otherwise force a body part into a
dangerous location.
Reciprocating—back-and-forth or up-anddown
action that may strike or entrap a worker
between a moving part and a fixed object.
Transversing—movement in a straight,
continuous line that may strike or catch a
worker in a pinch or shear point created
between the moving part and a fixed object.
Cutting—action generated during sawing,
boring, drilling, milling, slicing, and slitting.
Punching—motion resulting when a machine
moves a slide (ram) to stamp or blank metal or
other material.
Shearing—movement of a powered slide or
knife during metal trimming or shearing.
Bending—action occurring when power is
applied to a slide to draw or form metal or
other materials.
Are there any OSHA standards that
cover amputation hazards in the
workplace?
Yes. The Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) has the following
standards in Title 29 of the Code of Federal
Regulations ( CFR) to protect workers from
amputations in the workplace:
29 CFR Part 1910 Subparts O and P cover
machinery and machine guarding.
29 CFR 1926 Subpart I covers hand tools and
powered tools.
29 CFR Part 1928 Subpart D covers
agricultural equipment.
29 CFR Part 1915 Subparts C, H, and J;
29 CFR Part 1917 Subparts B, C, and G; and
29 CFR Part 1918 Subparts F, G, and H cover
maritime operations.
U.S. Department of Labor
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
2002
What can employers do to help
protect workers from amputations?
You should be able to recognize, identify,
manage, and control amputation hazards
commonly found in the workplace such as those
caused by mechanical components of machinery,
the mechanical motion that occurs in or near
these components, and the activities that workers
perform during mechanical operation.
Work practices, employee training, and
administrative controls can help prevent and
control amputation hazards. Machine
safeguarding with the following equipment is the
best way to control amputations caused by
stationary machinery:
Guards provide physical barriers that prevent
access to hazardous areas. They should be
secure and strong, and workers should not be
able to bypass, remove, or tamper with them.
Guards should not obstruct the operator’s view
or prevent employees from working.
Devices help prevent contact with points of
operation and may replace or supplement
guards. Devices can interrupt the normal cycle
of the machine when the operator’s hands are
at the point of operation, prevent the operator
from reaching into the point of operation, or
withdraw the operator’s hands if they approach
the point of operation when the machine cycles.
They must allow safe lubrication and
maintenance and not create hazards or
interfere with normal machine operation.
In addition, they should be secure, tamperresistant,
and durable.
You are responsible for safeguarding machines
and should consider this need when purchasing
machinery. New machinery is usually available
with safeguards installed by the manufacturer.
You can also purchase appropriate safeguards
separately or build them in-house.
Are certain jobs particularly
hazardous for some employees?
Yes. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the
Secretary of Labor has designated certain nonfarm
jobs as especially hazardous for employees
under the age of 18. These workers generally are
prohibited from operating band saws, circular
saws, guillotine shears, punching and shearing
machines, meatpacking or meat-processing
machines, paper products machines,
woodworking machines, metal-forming machines,
and meat slicers.
How can I get more information?
You can find more information about
amputations, including the full text of OSHA’s
standards, on OSHA’s website at www.osha.gov.
In addition, publications explaining the subject of
amputations in greater detail are available from
OSHA. Concepts and Techniques of Machine
Safeguarding (OSHA 3067) and Control of
Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout) (OSHA
3120) are available on OSHA’s website. For
other information about machine guarding see
http://www.osha-slc.gov/SLTC/
machineguarding/index.html.
A Guide for Protecting Workers from
Woodworking Hazards (OSHA 3157) is available
either on OSHA’s website at www.osha.gov or
from the Superintendent of Documents,
P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954,
or phone (202) 512-1800, or online at
http://bookstore.gpo.gov/index.html.
To file a complaint by phone, report an
emergency, or get OSHA advice, assistance, or
products, contact your nearest OSHA office
under the “U.S. Department of Labor” listing in
your phone book, or call us toll-free at
(800) 321-OSHA (6742); teletypewriter (TTY)
number is (877) 889-5627. To file a complaint
online or obtain more information on OSHA
federal and state programs, visit OSHA’s website
at www.osha.gov.
This is one in a series of informational fact sheets highlighting
OSHA programs, policies, or standards. It does not impose
any new compliance requirements or carry the force of legal
opinion. For compliance requirements of OSHA standards or
regulations, refer to Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
This information will be made available to sensory-impaired
individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 693-1999. See also
OSHA’s website at www.osha.gov.
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