WSR 97-21-041

EXPEDITED ADOPTION

DEPARTMENT OF

LABOR AND INDUSTRIES

[Filed October 10, 1997, 4:34 p.m.]

Title of Rule: Guarding of abrasive wheel machinery, chapter 296-24 WAC, General safety and health standards.

Purpose: Chapter 296-24 WAC, General safety and health standards, the existing department requirement relating to 150 maximum angular exposure for surface grinders and cut-off wheels was based on the 1970 American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard ANSI B7.1.

This requirement, found in WAC 296-24-18005, is out of date based on the current ANSI standard, which was amended in 1978 and 1988 to allow a 180 maximum angular exposure for surface grinders and cut-off wheels. In addition, there is no data currently available to support or suggest that the difference between 150 and 180 maximum exposure presents any direct and immediate relationship to worker safety and health. Therefore, the department is proposing to amend chapter 296-24 WAC to allow a 180 maximum angular exposure for surface grinders and cut-off wheels. This amendment will not establish additional compliance requirements.

This amendment will:

Make the standard consistent with current ANSI standards;

Make the standard consistent with chapter 296-155 WAC, Safety standards for construction (this standard references a semicircular enclosure, and therefore allows the 180 angle of exposure) thus ensuring clarity and eliminating the need for a separate interpretive policy because of the differences between the standards; and

Incorporate longstanding OSHA and Department of Labor and Industries' enforcement policies into the Washington Administrative Code, which is consistent with requirements of regulatory reform.

Amended section WAC 296-24-18005 Guarding of abrasive wheel machinery, a state-initiated proposed amendment is made to change the maximum angular exposure for surface grinders and cut-off wheels from 150 to 180.

State-initiated changes are based on the requirements in the Governor's Executive Order 97-02, Regulatory Improvement. The department is using the expedited rule adoption process. The following criterion for expedited adoption of a rule in Title 34 RCW, Administrative law is met:

"(c) The proposed rules only correct typographical errors, make address or name changes, or clarify language of a rule without changing its effect."

This amendment would provide consistency between chapters 296-24 and 296-155 WAC, and would eliminate the need for a separate interpretive policy.

Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 49.17.040 and 49.17.050.

Statute Being Implemented: RCW 49.170.040 [49.17.040] and 49.17.050.

Summary: See Purpose above.

Reasons Supporting Proposal: See Purpose above.

Name of Agency Personnel Responsible for Drafting: Tracy Spencer, Tumwater, Washington, (360) 902-5530; Implementation and Enforcement: Michael A. Silverstein, Tumwater, Washington, (360) 902-5495.

Name of Proponent: Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, governmental.

Rule is not necessitated by federal law, federal or state court decision.

Explanation of Rule, its Purpose, and Anticipated Effects: See Purpose above.

Proposal Changes the Following Existing Rules: See Purpose above.

THIS RULE IS BEING PROPOSED TO BE ADOPTED USING AN EXPEDITED RULE-MAKING PROCESS THAT WILL ELIMINATE THE NEED FOR THE AGENCY TO HOLD PUBLIC HEARINGS, PREPARE A SMALL BUSINESS ECONOMIC IMPACT STATEMENT, OR PROVIDE RESPONSES TO THE CRITERIA FOR A SIGNIFICANT LEGISLATIVE RULE. IF YOU OBJECT TO THIS RULE BEING ADOPTED USING THE EXPEDITED RULE-MAKING PROCESS, YOU MUST EXPRESS YOUR OBJECTIONS IN WRITING AND THEY MUST BE SENT TO Marie Myerchin-Redifer, Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, P.O. Box 44001, Olympia, WA 98504-4001, AND RECEIVED BY December 22, 1997.

October 10, 1997

Gary Moore

Director

AMENDATORY SECTION (Amending Order 76-6, filed 3/1/76)

WAC 296-24-18005 Guarding of abrasive wheel machinery. (1) Cup wheels. Cup wheels (types 6 and 11) shall be protected by:

(a) Safety guards as specified in (1) through (10) of this section.

(b) Band type guards as specified in (11) of this section; and

(c) Special "revolving cup guards" which mount behind the wheel and turn with it. They shall be made of steel or other material with adequate strength and shall enclose the wheel sides upward from the back for one-third of the wheel thickness. The mounting features shall conform with all requirements of this section. It is necessary to maintain clearance between the wheel side and the guard. This clearance shall not exceed one-sixteenth inch.

(2) Guard exposure angles. The maximum exposure angles specified in (3) through (8) of this section shall not be exceeded. Visors or other accessory equipment shall not be included as a part of the guard when measuring the guard opening, unless such equipment has strength equal to that of the guard.

(3) Bench and floor stands. The angular exposure of the grinding wheel periphery and sides for safety guards used on machines known as bench and floor stands should not exceed 90 or one-fourth of the periphery. This exposure shall begin at a point not more than 65 above the horizontal plane of the wheel spindle. (See Figures O-6 and O-7 and (9) of this section.)

[Open Style:Columns Off]

Figure No. O-6 Figure No. O-7

Wherever the nature of the work requires contact with the wheel below the horizontal plane of the spindle, the exposure shall not exceed 125. (See Figures O-8 and O-9.)

Figure No. O-8 Figure No. O-9

(4) Cylindrical grinders. The maximum angular exposure of the grinding wheel periphery and sides for safety guards used on cylindrical grinding machines shall not exceed 180. This exposure shall begin at a point not more than 65 above the horizontal plane of the wheel spindle. (See Figures O-10 and O-11 and (9) of this section.)

Figure No. O-10 Figure No. O-11

(5) Surface grinders and cutting-off machines. The maximum angular exposure of the grinding wheels periphery and sides for safety guards used on cutting-off machines and on surface grinding machines which employ the wheel periphery shall not exceed ((150)) 180. This exposure shall begin at a point not less than 15 below the horizontal plane of the wheel spindle. (See Figures O-12 and O-13.)

Figure No. O-12 Figure No. O-13

(6) Swing frame grinders. The maximum angular exposure of the grinding wheel periphery and sides for safety guards used on machines known as swing frame grinding machines shall not exceed 180, and the top half of the wheel shall be enclosed at all times. (See Figures O-14 and O-15.)

Figure No. O-14 Figure No. O-15

(7) Automatic snagging machines. The maximum angular exposure of the grinding wheel periphery and sides for safety guards used on grinders known as automatic snagging machines shall not exceed 180 and the top half of the wheel shall be enclosed at all times. (See Figures O-14 and O-15.)

(8) Top grinding. Where the work is applied to the wheel above the horizontal centerline, the exposure of the grinding wheel periphery shall be as small as possible and shall not exceed 60. (See Figures O-16 and O-17.)

Figure No. O-16 Figure No. O-17

(9) Exposure adjustment. Safety guards of the types described in (3) and (4) of this section, where the operator stands in front of the opening, shall be constructed so that the peripheral protecting member can be adjusted to the constantly decreasing diameter of the wheel. The maximum angular exposure above the horizontal plane of the wheel spindle as specified in (3) and (4) of this section shall never be exceeded, and the distance between the wheel periphery and the adjustable tongue or the end of the peripheral member at the top shall never exceed one-fourth inch. (See Figures O-18, O-19, O-20, O-21, O-22, and O-23.)

(10) Material requirements and minimum dimensions. (a) See Figures O-36 and O-37 and Table O-9 for minimum basic thickness of peripheral and side members for various types of safety guards and classes of service.

(b) If operating speed does not exceed 8,000 surface feet per minute cast iron safety guards, malleable iron guards or other guards as described in item (10)(c) of this subsection.

(c) Cast steel, or structural steel, safety guards as specified in Figures O-36 and O-37 and Table O-9 shall be used where operating speeds of wheels are faster than 8,000 surface feet per minute up to a maximum of 16,000 surface feet per minute.

(d) For cutting-off wheels 16 inches diameter and smaller and where speed does not exceed 16,000 surface feet per minute, cast iron or malleable iron safety guards as specified in Figures O-36 and O-37 and in Table O-9 shall be used.

Figure No. O-18 Figure No. O-19

correct Showing adjustable tongue giving required angular protection for all sizes of wheel used.

Figure No. O-20 Figure No. O-21

correct Showing movable guard with opening small enough to give required protection for smallest size wheel used.

Figure No. O-22 Figure No. O-23

[Open Style:Columns On]

incorrect Showing movable guard with size of opening correct for full size wheel but too large for smaller wheels.

(e) For cutting-off wheels larger than 16 inches diameter and where speed does not exceed 14,200 surface feet per minute, safety guards as specified in Figures O-27 and O-28, and in Table O-1 shall be used.

(f) For thread grinding wheels not exceeding 1 inch in thickness cast iron or malleable iron safety guards as specified in Figures O-36 and O-37, and in Table O-9 shall be used.

(11) Band type guards--General specifications. Band type guards shall conform to the following general specifications:

(a) The bands shall be of steel plate or other material of equal or greater strength. They shall be continuous, the ends being either riveted, bolted, or welded together in such a manner as to leave the inside free from projections.

(b) The inside diameter of the band shall not be more than 1 inch larger than the outside diameter of the wheel, and shall be mounted as nearly concentric with the wheel as practicable.

(c) The band shall be of sufficient width and its position kept so adjusted that at no time will the wheel protrude beyond the edge of the band a distance greater than that indicated in Figure O-29 and in Table O-2 or the wall thickness (W), whichever is smaller.

(12) Guard design specifications. Abrasive wheel machinery guards shall meet the design specifications of the American National Standard Safety Code for the Use, Care, and Protection of Abrasive Wheels, ANSI B7.1-1970. This requirement shall not apply to natural sandstone wheels or metal, wooden, cloth, or paper discs, having a layer of abrasive on the surface.