Top Questions To Ask When Selecting Machine Guarding
Machine guarding systems are a simple, effective way to protect personnel from the dangers posed by automated equipment. These risk reduction barriers keep people away from hazard zones and allow for easy integration with the unique needs of your facility. They can also act as an awareness barrier to employees.
These fully-framed woven wire or welded wire mesh panels bolt to posts forming a strong, secure barrier around dangerous automated equipment.
Selecting machine guarding that provides the best system for your facility can be a difficult decision, though. There are a lot of factors at play and you have to consider all angles in order to get the most out of your guards. To help you with your choice, here are some of the top questions to consider before selecting machine guarding for your organization.
1. What hazards and regulations does your safety guarding need to comply with?
The first thing you need to know before choosing your machine guarding is all of the physical information about your hazard zone. You need to know the dimensions and distance from the hazard, particularly if your hazard has specific requirements for distance.
To ensure you cover all your bases, you need to do an official risk assessment. This will give you more insight as to what kind of machine guarding you need, how much you need, and where it will be placed.
As safeguarding standards often change, usually in the direction of heightened regulation, WireCrafters will continue to mitigate potential workplace hazards through innovating machine guarding and physical barrier systems. We commit to being OSHA and ANSI/RIA-compliant in all of our products, so you know right off the bat that your machine guarding is built to be used in any business.
2. How is the machine guarding made?
It is important to note the material of machine guarding before choosing what will work best in your facility. An inferior material could give you a flimsy end result that leaves people vulnerable to your hazard areas. WireCrafters’s machine guarding is 50% heavier and stronger than many competitors to ensure a safer environment every time.
WireCrafters offers both woven and welded wire mesh machine guarding and perimeter guarding systems to protect and separate property, equipment, and personnel.
Our machine guarding systems are made of a 10 GA wire and available at any height you require. Our welded and woven wire mesh is extremely resilient; it resists dings, retains its shape, and is virtually maintenance-free.
Not only does material play an important role, but so does how the guards are made and installed. Easy installation saves you time and money and gives you a better overall experience. Our RapidWire HD, with its modular design, can be installed in 20-25% less time when compared to competing products. RapidWire HD is simple to plan and easy to install.
3. Is the machine guarding customizable?
Machine guarding isn’t always one size fits all. Your facility has unique hazards and you need guards that can be customized to your exact specifications and fit around any existing controls. This will ensure the highest level of safety in your workplace.
At WireCrafters, we work with you to figure out exactly what you need for your facility. Our machine guarding and perimeter guarding systems have hundreds, if not thousands, of possible applications, and our wire mesh panels can be made to your specific height requirement.
If mesh isn’t what you’re looking for, we can also offer you solid sheet metal, polycarbonate panels, expanded metal, or stainless steel panels for machine guarding.
Our modular wire mesh design allows for multiple combinations of standard parts to meet your specific space and guarding requirements. We offer a full line of special colors and accessories such as hinged doors, sliding doors, lift-out panels, and locking latches to integrate with your machine guarding system. No matter your needs, we can tailor-make a guarding system that meets your rigorous safety standards.
4. Does the company meet your customer service needs?
It is not enough to find a company to meet your product needs. You want a company that will go above and beyond to meet and exceed every expectation. You are on a deadline and you need someone who will deliver and install your guards on-time, when you need them. Good communication is important too.
There are plenty of companies that won’t be able to provide you the information you need when you need it. There are also those who will quote lead times they can't fulfill—sometimes as much as two or three times longer than what was promised. Unfortunately, this is a very common occurrence in the industry, but WireCrafters is dedicated to raising the standards.
We work to go above and beyond whatever your needs are and ensure a good experience on your end. That’s why our customer satisfaction and return rates are so high!
We encourage you to ask the right questions when you are shopping around for these and other equipment.
Also feel free to take a look at what we can offer you. We hope it's obvious we believe we can offer exactly what you need for all these questions. Our state-of-the-art machine guarding is well-made and effective, as well as customizable to the specific needs of your organization. We will work with you to determine what is best and make sure you are satisfied with the end result. But you don't have to just take our word for it. Feel free to watch the video below of an organization in Dallas, TX. Hear their perspective on our machine guarding.
When you’re ready to take the next step toward safety and compliance in your facility, let us know how we can help.
