What 29 CFR 1910.212 requires (plain English)
29 CFR 1910.212 sets the general machine-guarding requirements for all machines in general industry. Moving machine parts cause thousands of amputations, lacerations, and crushing injuries every year, and 1910.212 is the baseline requirement that machines be guarded so that operators and nearby workers cannot contact those hazards during normal operation. It applies broadly: any machine not covered by a more specific standard (such as the ones for mechanical power presses or woodworking machinery) still must meet 1910.212.
The standard requires one or more methods of machine guarding to protect against hazards created by the point of operation, ingoing nip points, rotating parts, and flying chips and sparks. The point of operation (the area where the machine actually cuts, shapes, or forms the material) must be guarded whenever its operation exposes an employee to injury, and the guard must keep any part of the body out of the danger zone during the operating cycle. Barrier guards, two-hand controls, presence-sensing devices, and similar methods are acceptable where they meet the requirement. Guards themselves must not create a hazard (no new pinch points or unguarded openings).
Machines designed for a fixed location must be securely anchored to prevent them from moving or 'walking' during operation. Machine guarding pairs closely with the Lockout/Tagout standard (1910.147): guarding protects workers during normal production, while lockout/tagout protects them during servicing and maintenance when guards may be removed and the machine could unexpectedly start. Machine guarding (1910.212) ranked tenth on OSHA's FY2025 list of most-cited standards, and machinery was the leading source of the severe injuries employers reported to federal OSHA in 2022 and 2023.