Microplastics have been found in every ecosystem on the planet—in food, beverages, and human and animal tissue. While scientists still do not fully understand the impacts of microplastics on human health and aquatic life, federal attention to microplastics is increasing.

EPA and HHS: A Coordinated National Strategy

In April 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) made a joint announcement describing microplastics contamination as “one of the most urgent and growing public health challenges facing Americans.” The release announced major actions to study microplastics in drinking water and the human body, as described below. Together, these developments point to closer scrutiny, better testing methods, and possible future regulatory action affecting food companies, manufacturers, and other industrial sectors.

Historic Recognition as a Priority Contaminant. For the first time, EPA has included microplastics as a priority contaminant group in its Draft Sixth Contaminant Candidate List (CCL 6). The CCL is published every five years and contains a list of substances designated by EPA as potentially warranting future regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). CCL 6 identifies contaminants not yet regulated but known or anticipated to occur in public water systems. The draft list includes four chemical groups, including microplastics, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), pharmaceuticals, and disinfection byproducts; nine microbes; and 75 chemicals.

The inclusion of microplastics in CCL 6 is historic. It signals that microplastics are no longer viewed solely as an environmental pollutant but as a potential human health threat requiring scientific scrutiny, regulatory planning, and industry accountability.

Systematic Targeting Of MicroPlastics (STOMP) Program. As part of the coordinated national strategy to address microplastics, HHS’s Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) has launched the STOMP program. This $144 million national initiative is intended to measure, map, and remove microplastics and nanoplastics from the human body.

The STOMP program is the first federal effort aimed not just at environmental monitoring but also at understanding microplastics inside human tissues. Researchers have already detected microplastics in lungs, arterial plaques, and even the brain, yet measurement methods remain inconsistent, making it difficult to assess risk or design interventions. STOMP aims to change that by:

• Identifying which microplastics are most harmful and how they move through the body.
• Developing gold-standard detection technologies for microplastics in water and human tissue.
• Creating safe, scalable removal methods, especially for vulnerable populations such as children, pregnant women, and high-exposure workers.

Focus on Food Safety

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to work on improving how microplastics and nanoplastics are detected and assessed in food. FDA has included microplastics as a priority deliverable under its Human Foods Program chemical food safety focus area, indicating that planned actions include research to improve the agency’s ability to accurately detect, quantify, and characterize microplastics in human food.

In light of this, food and beverage manufacturing, processing, and packaging companies should anticipate increased scrutiny of microplastic contamination across the food chain. Key implications include the following:

• Water used in food processing may face new regulatory limits for microplastics, requiring upgraded filtration or monitoring systems.
• Packaging materials, especially plastics that degrade into micro- and nanoplastics, may be reevaluated for shedding risk.
• Seafood, salt, bottled beverages, and processed foods that already known to contain microplastics may become targets for new testing requirements.
• Hazard analysis frameworks (e.g., Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP)) may need to incorporate microplastics as an emerging contaminant category.

Implications for Industry

Manufacturers in every industry, but particularly those using plastics, solvents, or high-shear processes, should prepare for the following:

1. New Monitoring and Reporting Requirements. EPA’s CCL 6 designation signals that microplastics may become regulated contaminants. Industries that discharge wastewater or rely on plastic-intensive processes may face:
   • Mandatory microplastic monitoring.
   • Stricter discharge permits.
   • Requirements for new filtration or capture technologies.
2. Supply Chain and Material Redesign. As STOMP identifies the most harmful microplastics, regulators may target specific polymers or additives. Companies may need to:
   • Shift to alternative materials.
   • Redesign products to minimize shedding.
   • Improve durability to reduce particle generation.
3. Increased Need for Environmental Services. To meet potential regulatory changes, many companies may need to implement advanced environment solutions, including:
   • Microplastic sampling and analysis.
   • Remediation technologies.
   • Regulatory compliance strategies.
4. Worker Safety Considerations. Microplastics have been detected in human lungs and arterial plaques. Industrial environments with airborne plastic dust may face:
   • Updated Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidance.
   • New personal protective equipment (PPE) or ventilation requirements.
   • Exposure monitoring programs.

Proactively Adapting

Microplastics are likely to remain a growing focus for federal research and possible future regulation. As EPA, HHS, and FDA continue developing the science, companies should expect stronger scrutiny, better detection methods, and increasing pressure to understand where microplastics may enter operations, products, and supply chains. Organizations that proactively adapt by assessing potential exposure points, improving filtration, redesigning materials, and monitoring microplastic exposure will be better positioned if (or when) monitoring expectations, customer demands, or regulatory requirements expand.

Every June, the National Safety Council (NSC) observes National Safety Month to bring additional attention to occupational health and safety (OHS) issues, reinforce the importance of having a strong safety culture, and encourage employers and individuals to be safety role models. This June marks 30 years of celebrating National Safety Month and keeping people safe—from the workplace to anyplace.

NSC has established four focus areas for 2026:

• Moving Safety Forward
• Staying Safe on the Roads
• Promoting Holistic Worker Health
• Preventing Slips, Trips, and Falls

KTL digs deeper into each focus area below:

Moving Safety Forward: OHS Document Management Systems

An OHS Document Management System provides a company-wide framework for central, secure storage and organization of safety-related documents and records to elevate workplace safety and move it forward in the organization. This includes policies, procedures, training records, inspection reports, and regulatory documentation to comply with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements.

Safety records often have strict retention and security requirements and must be accessible for an audit at any time. A structured OHS Document Management System can help ensure that these critical files are not only retained according to OSHA requirements, but also are standardized, easily searchable, and available to the right people when they need them. Read more…

Staying Safe on the Roads: Fleet Safety

A fleet is not limited to tractor-trailers or large delivery operations. If employees drive cars, vans, pickups, or other vehicles for work, the organization likely has fleet exposure and should manage it accordingly. Essentially, if vehicles are used in commerce, employers need to define fleet scope; evaluate applicable requirements; and treat driving as a safety, liability, and operational risk issue.

Fleet safety requires several core controls, including a written Fleet Safety Policy, driver screening and qualification, defensive driving training, and refresher training. Policies should address seat belt use; distracted driving; drug and alcohol prohibitions; and reporting of crashes, theft, and vehicle damage. If employees drive for work, fleet safety needs to be formalized to protect employees and the organization. Read more…

Promoting Holistic Worker Health: Psychological Safety

Workplace safety and health goes beyond the physical. A strong safety culture focuses on the whole person, and that includes ensuring psychological safety. Psychological safety is the shared belief that it is okay to take risks, express concerns and ideas, ask questions, speak up, and admit mistakes in the workplace without fear of being punished or humiliated.

Psychological safety is a critical concept for building effective teams and, many would argue, a critical concept for encouraging workplace innovation and success. According to the Center for Creative Leadership research, teams with high degrees of psychological safety report higher levels of performance and lower levels of interpersonal conflict. This is because employees who feel their workplace is psychologically safe are more willing to engage in behaviors that contribute to greater organizational innovation. Read more…

Preventing Slips, Trips, and Falls: Walking-Working Surfaces

Slips, trips, and falls routinely hit the top of OSHA’s Top 10 Violations. Walking-working surfaces include any horizontal, vertical, or inclined surface employees use to walk, work, or access a work area. That includes floors, stairs, ladders, platforms, scaffolds, ramps, and roofs. It’s important to remember that slip, trip, and fall risk is not limited to elevated work. Same-level hazards such as clutter, spills, cracks, holes, unmarked surface changes, and poor housekeeping can be just as significant and need to be managed as routine safety control issues.

OSHA 29 CFR 1910 Subpart D is the primary general industry standard for walking-working surfaces. To meet these standards and keep employees safe, there are several core controls employers should implement, including keeping surfaces clean and orderly, maintaining dry conditions where feasible, correcting defects promptly, ensuring safe access and egress, and confirming surfaces can support intended loads. In short, employers should treat walking-working surface hazards as an inspection, maintenance, and training issue, not just a housekeeping issue. Read more…

Additional Resources

As part of National Safety Month, NSC is offering free resources in these four areas (and more!) to help prevent injuries and safe lives. Check out these resources and take the NSC SafeAtWork Pledge to commit to:

• Actively helping your employer improve safety programs.  
• Reporting hazards promptly and suggesting solutions.
• Being a good safety role model for coworkers, friends, and family, even off the job.

In April 2026, the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) published ANSI/ASSP Z310.1-2026, the first U.S.-based standard that provides guidelines for assessing and managing risk across an organization. It establishes principles, a framework, and a process to help organizations develop a structured approach to risk management that builds on concepts published in ISO 31000:2019, Risk Management Principles and Guidelines.

The new ANSI/ASSP standard is intended to provide more practical and simplified implementation-focused guidance, while remaining aligned with the global ISO standard.

Key Elements

ASSP’s new guidelines are designed for organizations of any size or sector to apply them across the organization’s lifecycle and to decision-making at all levels. Importantly, the guidelines expand beyond safety and compliance to inform organizational risk management. Specifically, the guidelines include the following key elements:

1. Integrate risk management into the organization’s management systems and operations. Risk management should not be treated as a separate or occasional exercise. It should be fully integrated into an organization’s management system, governance, leadership, strategy, and daily operations to help improve decision-making and create business value
2. Use a structured and consistent approach to risk management. The standard outlines a systematic process to identify, assess, address, monitor, and review risks consistently rather than informally or ad hoc.
3. Customize the approach to the organization’s context. The risk management approach should be tailored to the organization’s size, sector, operating environment, objectives, and specific risk profile rather than applied as a one-size-fits-all model.
4. Support decision-making at all levels. The standard supports and informs strategic, tactical, and operational decisions, not just safety or compliance functions.
5. Engaging stakeholders and being inclusive. Effective risk management should involve relevant internal and external stakeholders to ensure risk information is complete, practical, and actionable.
6. Using timely, clear, and available information. Risk decisions should be based on current and understandable information; however, the guidance recognizes that decisions often must be made under uncertainty when that information is not available.
7. Accounting for human and cultural factors. Organizational culture, behavior, and human factors affect how risks emerge, are perceived, and are controlled.
8. Remaining dynamic and evolving to continually improve. Organizations should anticipate change and monitor new or evolving risks to regularly improve their risk management practices over time.

Aligning with the Standard

ANSI/ASSP Z310.1-2026 is a voluntary guidance standard rather than a regulation. In practice, organizations typically demonstrate alignment by showing that risk management is documented, integrated into decision-making, applied consistently, and reviewed for effectiveness.

Aligning with the new guidelines by taking the following steps will help organizations move from fragmented or reactive risk practices to a more disciplined, organization-wide, decision-focused risk management system:

• Establish a formal risk management policy or framework tied to organizational objectives. Do we have a documented risk management policy, framework, or equivalent guidance approved by leadership?
• Define governance and accountability, including leadership oversight, roles, responsibilities, and escalation paths. Are roles, responsibilities, decision rights, and escalation paths for risk management clearly defined?
• Embed risk review into planning and decision-making such as strategy, projects, operations, procurement, and change management. Is risk management integrated into governance, leadership, strategy, and day-to-day operations rather than treated as a standalone exercise?
• Create a repeatable risk process for identifying, analyzing, evaluating, treating, monitoring, and communicating risks. Do we use a repeatable process to identify risks across strategic, operational, financial, safety, compliance, and other relevant areas?
• Document risk criteria and methods so risk ratings and treatment decisions are consistent. Do we apply defined criteria and methods to analyze likelihood, impact, velocity, uncertainty, or other relevant factors and evaluate priorities consistently? Have we tailored the risk management approach to our size, sector, objectives, regulatory environment, and risk profile?
• Engage relevant stakeholders when identifying and evaluating risks. Are relevant internal and external stakeholders engaged when identifying, assessing, and responding to risks?
• Use reliable data and review it regularly so decisions reflect current conditions. Is risk information used to support strategic, tactical, and operational decisions at all levels? Do risk decisions rely on timely, clear, and available information, and is that information reviewed regularly?
• Address culture and human factors in how risks are communicated, accepted, and controlled.  Do we consider human behavior, organizational culture, incentives, competence, and communication when assessing and managing risks?
• Monitor performance and continually improve through periodic reviews, lessons learned, and updates to controls and processes. Do we monitor internal and external changes and emerging risks and update assessments when conditions change? Do we routinely monitor risk indicators, review control effectiveness, and reassess significant risks? Do we use lessons learned, audits, incidents, and reviews to improve the risk management framework and process over time?

KTL’s team includes experienced risk assessors, risk managers, and safety professionals, who regularly apply the concepts included in the new guidance to help organizations effectively understand and manage their safety and organizational risks. If you need assistance interpreting and applying the ASSP/ANZI Z310.1-2026 standard, please contact KTL.

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Note: The complete ASSP/ANSI Z310.1-2026 standard can be purchased in the ASSP Store.

If you are in the Rockford area, you won’t want to miss KTL at the REMS Summit 2026, held at the NIU Rockford Campus on February 5, 2026. The REMS Summit offers Rockford-area leaders in manufacturing keynote sessions on legislative updates and strategic priorities, as well as interactive breakout sessions covering workforce development, automation/AI, supply chain strategy, HR modernization, Lean leadership, and environmental, health & safety compliance.

KTL’s April Greene, CSP, CHMM, will be presenting a breakout session on Environmental, Health & Safety: What You Need to Know. This session will:

• Provide an overview of applicable federal, state, and local occupational safety and environmental regulatory requirements.
• Explain what is required to comply with federal, state, and local environmental and occupational safety regulations (i.e., your obligations as an employer).
• Identify common compliance pitfalls and gaps in existing operations, processes, and practices.
• Outline best practices for developing practical systems to manage risk and stay compliant.

Functionality: What does it do?

Chemical inventories are required for any organization using or managing hazardous chemicals in the workplace. They can be used to track inventory, communicate hazards, maintain Safety Data Sheets (SDS), and more. For companies using many chemicals, managing chemical quantities, historical usage, and associated documentation can be a challenge. KTL uses the Microsoft Power Platform to build and customize a Chemical Inventory Tool to replace scattered outdated systems, allowing organizations to more efficiently create inventories, track and manage chemicals, and meet regulatory compliance requirements.

Benefits: Why do you need it?

KTL’s Chemical Inventory Tool helps organizations using or managing chemicals to maintain compliance and streamline chemical management processes through:

• Managing Inventory: Maintains an accurate, up-to-date record of all chemicals onsite and their historical quantities.
• Centralizing Data Storage: Stores all chemical information in one location for easy access and consistency across sites.
• Communicating Hazards: Provides employees with quick access to chemical details, associated hazard information, and required personal protective equipment (PPE) for handling the chemical, reducing the risks of chemical handling and storage.
• Maintaining SDS: Connects chemical data to SDSs, helps ensure current versions are available, as required, and can store previous versions to meet the 30-year retention requirement.
• Streamlining Workflows: Creates workflows to manage chemical approvals, provide low supply reminders, and prompt regular chemical and SDS review.
• Reporting: Enables organizations to easily generate chemical inventories to comply with Tier III and Tier II reporting requirements and to provide to Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs) and emergency response personnel.

Technology Used

• SharePoint or Dataverse
• Power Apps
• Power Automate

An organization’s safety culture is ultimately reflected in the way safety is managed in the workplace. Strong safety cultures have a number of key attributes in common that promote responsible safety and health practices and beliefs across the organization. When these characteristics come together, everyone wins. Benefits that can be expected include:

• Fewer incidents, losses and disruptions
• Improved employee morale
• Increased productivity
• Lower workers’ compensation and insurance claims
• Improved compliance with OSHA regulations and state occupational safety and health programs
• Improved reputation to help attract new or retain existing customers and employees
• Better brand and shareholder value

A safety culture action plan outlines the tools and strategies organizations can use to improve their existing safety culture and ensure that it is integrated with overall business goals, vision, and mission.

Read KTL’s full article, Creating a Safety Culture Action Plan, authored by KTL Senior Associates April Greene, CSP, CHMM, and Will Brokaw, MA, as published in the November 2025 issue of ASSP’s Professional Safety Journal.

Functionality: What does it do?

Many organizations rely on external contractors to help deliver products and services. However, using these contractors comes with inherent risks, especially when it comes to safety. Contractor safety management is vital in reducing operational risks, meeting regulatory requirements, and keeping contractors and employees safe. KTL’s Contractor Safety Management Tool supports multiple layers of compliance (e.g., site-level, contractor-level, and employee-level requirements) to help efficiently manage contractor safety requirements—from training, to document management, to proof of qualifications.

Benefits: Why do you need it?

A Contractor Safety Management Tool helps to streamline compliance by keeping all safety-related records in one web-based system, creating the following benefits:

• Maintains proof of qualifications and reduces associated risk by tracking expiration dates and sending reminders before certifications, insurance, or permits lapse (both at the company and individual levels).
• Improves operational safety by providing a centralized location for important safety documents and procedures, such as lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures and access points.
• Simplifies audits and inspections by organizing safety records in a secure and easily accessible format.
• Efficiently tracks and manages pending, completed, and upcoming training and associated records to help ensure role-specific competency and demonstrate training compliance during audits.
• Increases transparency, enhances accountability, and promotes continual improvement regarding contractor safety performance.
• Maintains a consistent, structured process for completing contractor approvals, including sending notifications.

Technology Used

• SharePoint
• Power Apps (for custom forms)
• Power Automate (for email notifications)

Functionality: What does it do?

A Safety Document Management System provides a company-wide framework for central, secure storage and organization of safety-related documents and records. This includes policies, procedures, training records, inspection reports, and regulatory documentation to comply with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements.

Safety records often have strict retention and security requirements and must be accessible for an audit at any time. A structured Safety Document Management System can help ensure that these critical files are not only retained according to OSHA requirements, but also are standardized, easily searchable, and available to the right people when they need them.

Benefits: Why do you need it?

Implementing a Microsoft SharePoint-based Safety Document Management System provides the following:

• Centralized access to safety policies, procedures, checklists, inspection logs, and training records – whether onsite or remote.
• Document version control to promote consistency and reduce errors associated with outdated versions being used.
• Quick document retrieval, version history, and clear audit trails to demonstrate compliance during audits.
• Improved operational collaboration through real-time share, review, and update capabilities.
• Enhanced workflows configured for notifications, document retention/archive processes, and document approvals (e.g., new procedures, corrective actions) with clear accountability.
• Increased visibility into safety performance by linking documents with incident reports, risk assessments, and corrective and preventive actions (CAPAs).
• Ease in uploading documents (like a shared network drive) and adding/updating metadata to improve searchability.
• Reduced physical paperwork.
• Option to include digital signatures on required documents.
• Better security and access permissions/control to protect sensitive safety data (e.g., incident investigations or medical information).

Together, these capabilities lead to safer workplaces, stronger compliance performance, and reduced risk during audits or inspections.

Technology Used

• SharePoint
• Power Automate

Safe + Sound Week

Maintaining Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) compliance is not just about avoiding fines—it’s about creating a safe and productive environment where workers can thrive. And it’s about moving beyond paperwork and policy development to implementing practical strategies and creating a culture that makes safety a daily priority.

Practical Strategies

Implementing effective safety protocols and maintaining OSHA compliance requires a combination of diligence, training, regular monitoring, and engagement.

1. Diligence. To create an effective Safety Program, you need to understand your regulatory requirements. Equally important, you need a thorough understanding of your operations, your workforce, and your hazards and risks to develop a Safety Program that meets your specific needs. Diligence requires staying informed about changes to OSHA regulations and industry best practices to ensure your facility remains compliant and workers stay protected according to the law. A comprehensive hazard assessment can help identify areas where specific safety improvements—sometimes beyond the law—are needed at your facility. Use this assessment, as well as your understanding of your operations and your employees, to develop or update your Safety Plan and procedures. Procedures should be customized to address specific risks within your facility, while still meeting regulatory compliance requirements.
2. Training. A hallmark of any best-in-class organization is its ability to continually look for opportunities to improve. Safety is no exception. OSHA has significant training requirements for employees for good reason. If employees don’t know how to do their job safely, there are real risks of noncompliance, poor employee morale, injury, or worse. Ensure all employees are trained in relevant OSHA standards, understand their responsibilities related to job tasks and safe behaviors, and know how to identify and report potential safety issues. Ongoing education and engagement are key to retention. Safety training shouldn’t be a one-time event; rather, it should be a continuous process that evolves as the facility and industry standards change. Effective training will incorporate interactive learning approaches, real-world scenarios, peer-to-peer learning and mentorships, and continual feedback to create a culture where employees understand and value the importance of safety.   
3. Regular Monitoring. Regular audits and inspections of your operations, equipment, and practices provide a valuable means of supporting ongoing safety performance and compliance. Every Safety Program needs to be continually reviewed and assessed to ensure it is meeting organizational goals and compliance requirements. Internal audits and inspections can help identify problems so corrective/preventive actions can be put into place and then sustained and improved over time. Many organizations conduct internal audits with their own staff to assess conformance and identify opportunities for improvement. It can be beneficial to bring in a second party at least annually to provide a fresh set of eyes and an objective assessment of overall compliance status.  
4. Engagement. Engaging workers in safety initiatives, encouraging them to voice concerns, and creating an open dialogue about safety will create buy-in and foster a strong safety culture. Every employee can bring something to the table when it comes to safety. New employees offer a fresh set of eyes; long-term employees have valuable lessons learned to share. Organizations need to continually provide opportunities to get all employees involved in safety in meaningful and appropriate ways, such as creating employee safety committees, involving employees in procedure development, and engaging employees in incident investigations.

Prioritizing Employee Safety

It takes practical strategies to maintain ongoing compliance and create a workplace culture that truly values employee safety. You can make health and safety compliance a daily priority by implementing clear strategies, staying informed on regulations, and actively involving your team. Prioritizing employee safety is about more than just addressing regulatory compliance, it is about safeguarding your employees and the future of your business.

Safe + Sound Week

Machine guarding consistently ranks among the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) top 10 safety violations. While generally toward the bottom of the top 10, machine hazards are not to be ignored, as they often result in serious injury, amputation, or even death. Machine guarding is crucial for preventing injuries such as these.

Contrary to what many believe, machine guarding is not just a manufacturing issue—it is a fundamental safety control across a wide range of industries, including food processing, warehousing, logistics, packaging, printing, and even some service sectors. Despite the diversity of equipment and processes in these industries, the principles of machine guarding—protecting workers from points of operation, moving parts, and flying debris—apply universally.

Background on Machine Guarding

29 CFR 1910.212 outlines requirements for machinery and machine guarding. According to OSHA, any machine part, function, or process that may cause injury must be safeguarded. Machine guarding refers to those physical barriers, protective devices, awareness barriers, or other safety mechanisms that protect workers from hazards created by moving machine parts.

While some may argue that the Machine Guarding Standard is intentionally vague to apply to the various machine types and configurations used throughout industry, the regulations specify the following requirements:

• Employers must ensure machines are equipped with one or more types of guards (e.g., fixed, interlocked, adjustable, self-adjusting, etc.) that prevent access to hazardous areas while the machine is in operation.
• Machines with moving parts that perform cutting, shearing, punching, or pressing operations must have securely fixed guards that cannot be easily tampered with or removed to prevent employees from contacting the point of operation.
• Workers must be protected from hazards associated with power transmission components (i.e., accidental contact and entanglement with belts, gears, chains, pulleys, etc.).
• Machines must be equipped with emergency stop devices to quickly shut down equipment in an emergency or when a hazard is detected.
• Workers must be trained in safe machine operation, how to recognize hazards, and effective use of machine guards. Regular maintenance and inspection of machine guards are also essential.

Machine guarding is a priority for OSHA, with two National Emphasis Programs (NEPs) aimed specifically at addressing machine hazards and numerous Regional Emphasis Programs (REPs) that are focused in some part on enforcing the Machine Guarding Standard.

Best Practices to Realize Benefits

Machine guards are intended to protect employees. When appropriately implemented, they can not only help reduce injury, but they may also contribute to maintaining regulatory compliance, improving employee productivity, fostering a positive safety culture, and enhancing overall morale.

The following best practice strategies can help organizations in any industry realize these benefits:

• Identify Hazards: A hazard/risk assessment is crucial for identifying all potential hazards associated with each machine. The assessment starts by generating a list of all machines and then identifying any rotating gears, cutting blades, belts, pinch-points, and other dangerous components that could cause harm if not properly guarded. In addition to a general hazard assessment, facilities should also consider regularly conducting the following:
  • A Task Hazard Assessment (THA) is a pre-job inspection to evaluate job-specific hazards and ensure appropriate safety precautions, controls, operator training, and other preventive measures are in place prior to job startup. A THA is intended to verify the proper function and design of machine guarding devices before every work shift.
  • A Job Safety Analysis (JSA) analyzes potential hazards at each job step that could be introduced by tools, equipment, work practices, or the work environment. JSAs should be performed for all positions before work begins to clearly identify, assess, and implement effective machine design and hazard controls for specific jobs.
• Use Consensus Standards: Consensus standards, such as those developed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), provide valuable guidance for understanding and implementing effective machine guarding. These standards are developed by industry experts and stakeholders to reflect current best practices and technological advancements. While not always legally binding, they are often referenced by regulatory bodies like OSHA and can serve as a benchmark for evaluating the adequacy of guarding on specific types of equipment. Using these standards helps facilities identify appropriate guard types, placement, and operational safeguards; ensure workers are protected from hazardous moving parts; and maintain operational efficiency.
• Select, Customize, and Install Machine Guards: Appropriate guards need to be selected and implemented based on the risk assessment. Guards should be suitable for the specific machine and operation and carefully evaluated for ease of use, durability, and level protection. Customization may be required to ensure guards fit the specific operations and provide adequate protection while not compromising efficiency. The effectiveness of the machine guard relies on proper installation. This is not the time to throw away the manufacturer’s guidelines! Adhere closely to instructions to ensure guards are installed and integrated seamlessly with their machinery.
• Develop Proper Procedures: Document the procedures employees must follow when operating machinery. These written procedures should outline how to safely operate equipment, document identified hazards and the associated controls that are in place to protect employees, establish safe practices for equipment maintenance and repair, provide training requirements, etc.   
• Train Staff: All workers should be trained in safe machine operation and guard use. Training should cover all points of the written procedure described above, including potential hazards and the essential functions of guard. Importantly, training should emphasize the importance of not bypassing or disabling guards under any circumstances. In addition to understanding safe machine operations, employees should be trained to identify safe and unsafe employee behavior. Many machine guarding-related injuries occur due to unsafe behaviors vs. unsafe equipment, such as bypassing machine guards, performing quick maintenance without following machine guarding procedures, or ignoring procedures to get the job done faster. Employees should be empowered to report this behavior.
• Conduct Inspections, Maintenance, and Monitoring: Once a guard is in place, regular maintenance and inspections will help ensure they remain effective. A Maintenance Program should:
  • Establish regular inspection and maintenance schedules.
  • Identify and assign qualified inspectors/personnel with appropriate training.
  • Develop inspection checklists for each machine/machine guard configuration, integrating requirements from OSHA’s Machine Guarding Standard.
  • Create a mechanism to quickly report and respond to findings/nonconformances and assign corrective actions.
  • Capture, document, and report machine hazards and unsafe behaviors so others can learn from them.

Prevention Is Key

Don’t wait for an accident to expose a preventable hazard—inspect your machines regularly and ensure guards are properly installed, maintained, and, importantly, never bypassed. Prioritize machine guarding as a core element of your Safety Program to protect your employees, reduce liability, and stay compliant with OSHA regulations.rogram to protect your employees, reduce liability, and stay compliant with OSHA regulations.