At a glance
- Machine guarding, general industry: 29 CFR 1910.212(a)(1). Construction tools and moving parts: 29 CFR 1926.300(b)(1) and (b)(2). Crane crush zones: 29 CFR 1926.1424(a)(2).
- About 5 minutes: read the script out loud, then ask the three questions.
- FY2025 citations: 29 CFR 1910.212, 2,666 (111 at construction sites); 29 CFR 1926.300, 149 (140 at construction sites); 29 CFR 1926.1424, 9 (9 at construction sites).
- Free PDF: the script, the questions, the rule and a 20-line sign-in sheet. No account, no email.
Read this to your crew
Today's talk is about pinch points, the spots where two things come together with your hand, foot or body in between. It is often fingers, and it happens in a second.
Where do we find them? Material handling: a beam or a pallet landing on another, a pipe rolling against a rack. Doors, gates, tailgates and lids that swing shut. Equipment: belts and pulleys, chains and sprockets, gears, rollers, the hinge of a loader arm, the swing of an excavator or crane house against something fixed. Tools: a drill that binds and spins, a vise, a hinged form.
The rule for hands is simple: never put a hand where you cannot see it, and never between a moving thing and a fixed one. Guide loads with a tag line or a push stick. Set material down on blocking so your fingers come out before the weight does. Hold the sides of a load, not the bottom edge.
On machines and tools, the guard is what keeps fingers out of the nip point. Leave guards in place, and if one is missing or broken, the machine stays off until it is fixed. In construction, belts, gears, shafts, pulleys, chains and other moving parts are guarded when employees could contact them (29 CFR 1926.300(b)(2)).
Never reach into a machine to clear a jam while it can move. Shut it down and make sure it cannot start, using the lockout procedure for that machine. The lockout talk covers the steps.
Last, around cranes and excavators, the space between the rotating house and a wall, a truck or another machine is a crush zone. Stay out of it. On crane jobs, that area is marked with barriers, or with warning signs and markings where barriers are not feasible (29 CFR 1926.1424(a)(2)(ii)), and you stay out of it.
Three questions for the crew
- Name the pinch points in the work we are doing today.
Listen for: Specific spots: the tailgate, the pallet jack, the formwork hinge, the conveyor tail pulley. - How do you set down a heavy load without putting fingers under it?
Listen for: Blocking, a tag line or push stick, hands on the sides, a second person. - What do you do when a guard is missing or a machine jams?
Listen for: Stop, report the guard, and lock out before clearing the jam.
Which OSHA rules cover pinch points?
In general industry, one or more methods of machine guarding protect the operator and other employees in the machine area from hazards such as the point of operation, ingoing nip points, rotating parts, flying chips and sparks (29 CFR 1910.212(a)(1)). Guards are affixed to the machine where possible, and a guard is not an accident hazard in itself (29 CFR 1910.212(a)(2)).
In construction, power tools designed to accommodate guards are equipped with those guards when in use (29 CFR 1926.300(b)(1)), and belts, gears, shafts, pulleys, sprockets, chains and other moving parts of equipment are guarded when exposed to contact by employees or otherwise a hazard (29 CFR 1926.300(b)(2)).
Around cranes, each employee assigned to work on or near the equipment is trained to recognize the struck-by and pinch/crush hazard areas of the rotating superstructure (29 CFR 1926.1424(a)(2)(i)).
The paragraphs, word for word:
“(a) Machine guarding—(1) Types of guarding. One or more methods of machine guarding shall be provided to protect the operator and other employees in the machine area from hazards such as those created by point of operation, ingoing nip points, rotating parts, flying chips and sparks. Examples of guarding methods are—barrier guards, two-hand tripping devices, electronic safety devices, etc.”
“(b) Guarding. (1) When power operated tools are designed to accommodate guards, they shall be equipped with such guards when in use.”
“(2) Belts, gears, shafts, pulleys, sprockets, spindles, drums, fly wheels, chains, or other reciprocating, rotating or moving parts of equipment shall be guarded if such parts are exposed to contact by employees or otherwise create a hazard. Guarding shall meet the requirements as set forth in American National Standards Institute, B15.1-1953 (R1958), Safety Code for Mechanical Power-Transmission Apparatus.”
“(i) Train each employee assigned to work on or near the equipment (“authorized personnel”) in how to recognize struck-by and pinch/crush hazard areas posed by the rotating superstructure.”
How often did OSHA cite these rules in FY2025?
| Standard | Construction sites | Other industries | All FY2025 citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29 CFR 1910.212Machine guarding, general requirements | 111 | 2,555 | 2,666 |
| 29 CFR 1926.300Tools, general requirements, construction | 140 | 9 | 149 |
| 29 CFR 1926.1424Crane work area control | 9 | 0 | 9 |
Citation items under 29 CFR issued Oct 1, 2024 to Sep 30, 2025, at federal and State Plan inspections, counted by HazComFast on U.S. Department of Labor enforcement data (extracted Oct 13, 2026). Construction means an inspection whose NAICS code starts with 23. The counts describe inspected establishments, not every employer.
Where are the pinch points on a jobsite?
| Pinch point | How it catches | Keep clear by |
|---|---|---|
| A load landing on a deck or rack | Fingers under the load | Blocking, and holding the sides |
| Tailgate, door or gate | Fingers in the closing gap | Hand on the handle, eyes on the gap |
| Belt and pulley, chain and sprocket | The ingoing nip point pulls the hand in | Guard in place, lockout before clearing |
| Excavator or crane house swinging | Body crushed against a fixed object | Stay out of the swing area |
| Drill or driver that binds | Hand or wrist twisted by the tool | Side handle, clutch set low, firm stance |
| Hinged formwork or a vise | Fingers in the hinge or jaws | Hands on the handles only |