R 408.12631 Squaring shear.

Rule 2631. (1) An employer shall ensure that a squaring shear, mechanical or manual, shall have 1 of the following: (a) The blade and hold-down clamp guarded by a fixed barrier set in accordance with Figure 1. (b) Automatic clamps set within 1/4 inch of the table or stock with the cutouts filled in so that the fingers of the operator cannot enter the pinch point. (c) A self-adjusting barrier with a limit of not more than 1/4 inch above the table or material. (2) Where small stock is being sheared, a pusher stick must be provided and used. (3) An employee tending the backside of a squaring shear shall be separated from the moving parts by a table, rack or chute, such as the back gauge, shear blade or work piece on which the sheared stock shall fall before being handled, or the point of operation must be guarded as prescribed in subdivision (a) of subrule (1). The table, rack or chute must maintain the employee's position not less than 3 feet from the point of operation or a hazardous moving part. (4) An automatically fed squaring shear must be guarded by a barrier so located to prevent access to the point of operation. The guard may be swung aside for hand feeding, providing the control is on inch setting. FIGURE 1 Fig. 1 shows the accepted safe openings between the bottom edge of a guard and feed table at various distances from the danger line (point of operation). The clearance line marks the distance required to prevent contact between the guard and moving parts. The minimum guarding line is the distance between the infeed side of the guard and the danger line that is 1/2 inch from the danger line. The various openings are such that for average size hands, an operator’s fingers will not reach the point of operation. After installation of point of operation guards and before a job is released for operation, a check must be made to verify that the guard will prevent the operator’s hands from reaching the point of operation.