A machine guarding assessment is often needed when there is uncertainty about whether equipment is properly safeguarded or compliant with applicable requirements.
It requires a thorough understanding of how workers interact with the equipment and where practical controls are needed to reduce risk.
Clients often contact HITE Engineering when:
Our assessments of machine guarding in Ontario look at the areas where workers may be exposed to hazardous motion, hazardous energy, or unsafe interaction with equipment.
Machine guarding compliance should help protect workers while allowing normal operation, maintenance, setup, and production needs to continue safely.
This may include:
If a safeguarding change or equipment installation may trigger a PSR/PHSR, HITE can support the review process.
This may include on-site inspection, documentation review, deficiency identification, corrective recommendations, and a signed engineering report where applicable.
HITE Engineering conducts machine guarding and safeguarding assessments with reference to applicable Ontario requirements and technical safety standards.
Depending on the project, this may include:
Final regulatory statements should be reviewed by HITE’s technical team before publication or use on a specific project.
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The specific deliverables depend on the scope of the assessment, the equipment involved, and whether design support or PSR/PHSR documentation is required. A machine guarding assessment may include:
Our work spans a wide range of industries and machine types. In recent projects, HITE has:
These projects highlight our ability to adapt solutions to various operational environments, from high-speed manufacturing to food processing and packaging.
Common examples include:
A machine guarding assessment may be needed when equipment is new, modified, damaged, missing guards, or flagged during a safety audit or compliance review.
It may also be needed when operators are exposed to pinch, crush, shear, nip, rotating, cutting, or entanglement hazards.
Yes. New equipment should still be reviewed before use.
Employers and end users are responsible for workplace safety and compliance. Manufacturer-supplied equipment may not address every site-specific requirement, process condition, or Ontario workplace obligation.
Yes, certain new equipment, modifications, or safeguarding changes may require a PSR/PHSR.
HITE can help determine whether a PSR/PHSR applies and, where required, support the engineering review and documentation process.
Well-designed safeguarding should protect workers without creating unnecessary barriers to safe, normal use.
HITE considers operator interaction, maintenance access, workflow, and production needs when providing guarding or safeguarding recommendations.
Effective safeguards should help prevent contact with hazardous moving parts, be durable, remain securely in place, and avoid creating new hazards.
They should also allow necessary work to be completed safely and reduce the chance of objects or body parts entering hazardous areas.
