Templates / Machinery Guarding Checklist
Machinery Guarding Checklist
A machine safety checklist covering guarding, interlocks and emergency stops against ISO 12100 principles.
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A checklist for verifying machine guards are correctly fitted and functioning.
About this template
The Machinery Guarding Checklist is designed to be quick to complete and easy to adapt to your own workplace. Start from the template rather than a blank page, tailor the hazards, controls and responsibilities to your site, and keep a completed copy on file as evidence that the right checks were made.
How it links to the standards
The equipment and controls this template asks you to record are governed by published standards that define what each item must withstand and how it is tested. These are the ones that apply most directly:
The full EN standards library covers every standard referenced across SafetyOrbit.
Related guidance
Filling the template in is easier when you know the reasoning behind each control. These notes cover the practical detail:
- Warehouse and Logistics — the full technique-note library for this kind of work
- Conveyor Belt and Sortation System Safety
- Shrink Wrap and Strapping Machine Safety
- Chipper Safety: Feed Zone Hazards and Safe Operating Distance
Checking the interlock actually stops the machine matters as much as the guard being present.
Related guidance
The technique notes behind this document, from Machinery & Manufacturing:
- Fixed guards and when they are the right answer
- Interlocked guards and how they get defeated
- Safety distances and reach
Related guidance
The technique notes behind this document, from Agriculture & Livestock:
Frequently asked questions
What does the Machinery Guarding Checklist cover?
A machine safety checklist covering guarding, interlocks and emergency stops against ISO 12100 principles.
Why does this checklist reference ISO 12100 specifically?
ISO 12100 sets out the general risk-reduction hierarchy behind machine guarding – eliminate, guard, then inform – so the checklist is built to verify that hierarchy is actually in place, not just that some guard exists.
What should be checked about an interlocked guard specifically?
That the interlock actually stops the machine when the guard is opened, not just that the guard is physically present, since a defeated or bypassed interlock provides no real protection.
What should happen if this checklist finds a guard missing or defeated?
The machine should be treated as unsafe to operate until the guard is refitted and the interlock, where fitted, is confirmed working again.