Metal Shear Safety

The primary safety hazard posed by a metal shear is amputation. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) offers guidelines for metal shear safety, and several safety devices are designed to safeguard workers from injury.

Two-Hand Trips

• Two-hand trips are controls that require the operator to use both hands to operate the shear. These trips are placed well away from the blade in order to prevent injury.

Revolution Clutch

• A partial or full revolution clutch prevents the blade from completing an inertia cycle between strokes. Prior to this, clutches were designed into the shear, and many injuries occurred when operators realigned the material between cuts.

Material Holding Device

• When the shear blade cuts into material it can cause the remnant to bounce up and hit the operator. To avoid this hazard, hold-down clamps are used.

Emergency Stop

• Shears must be equipped with a body bar that immediately stops the blade. During a cutting cycle, if the operator gets too close to the cutting area, he can lean against the body bar.

Training

• Workers should be properly trained to operate a metal shear. Knowledge of the machine's operation, maintenance and safety features should all be included in this training.