Drill Press Guards
Drill press guards protect workers from preventable injuries while they are operating drill presses. Like all machine guards, drill press guards can protect plant personnel from moving parts, contaminants, flying debris, and noise. Drill press guards protect the hands and eyes of operators from cutting tools, cutting blades, grease, hot chips, oil, and splash coolants.
According to the OSHA list, drill presses require guarding where work is performed when the material is being processed. There are many types of drill press guards. One of the most common, tiered guards, cover the rotating parts of the press by fastening to the quill of the drill press. With the use of this type of guard, operators have complete visibility of the product being drilled.
Although they usually do not get in the way, sometimes the use of drill press guards interferes with the task. After assessing all possible safety hazards, a protocol should be developed for the task. Once implemented, the guard can be removed and the task can be completed.