Pinch Points and Crush Points

If you spend your days around heavy machinery, material handling gear, or manufacturing lines, you will commonly see many moving parts. These can introduce hazards into the workplace. Two of these hazards are pinch points and crush hazards.

So what is the difference?

A pinch point is where multiple parts are moving together, one of these parts is moving in a circle, while the other moves across. Like a conveyor, this has a pulley and belt to move objects across or through the system. The danger here is that with a pinch point, something will get drawn in. Hair. Jewelry. Cloths. These all pose a risk of getting caught in and pulled through.

How do we avoid this?

Some helpful areas to avoid this are by pulling long hair back/up. Roll the sleeves up. Don’t wear loose jewelry on the job. If there is a guard on or near the system that is not in place, do not operate it. Don’t take a “fix it later” approach; be proactive when it comes to your safety.

What about Crush points?

A crush point is where multiple components move toward each other, or a moving component is closing on a stationary object, like a hydraulic press or the lowering of a scissor lift. Even a forklift fork dropping down with a pallet. In these situations, there is nowhere for your body to go. These are very dangerous points and should thus be treated with great caution and care.

What to look out for

Again, be proactive about your own health. Make sure guards are in place and, most importantly, stay clear and make sure others are clear of these points when machinery is being used. Look around you before you move the forklift or lower the scissor lift.