Cases We Handle

Machine Guarding Attorneys

Machine guards are meant to ensure that workers are protected from injury.

MD&L won a case for $950,000 against a wood chipper manufacturer for a defective safety mechanism resulting in loss of a foot to a landscape employee in 1994 who used his foot to kick in branches into the mouth of the chipping blades. MD&L was able to prove that the manufacturer knew of this dangerous defect, yet they never issued a product recall.

One of the most common types of workplace injuries occurs when machine operators suffer amputations, lacerations, de-gloving, or other serious injuries from the operation of machinery that is not properly guarded.

Machine guards are devices on machinery that protect workers from injuries. The importance of machine guarding was known at the end of the 19th century. In 1899, the first patent for an interlocking guard was awarded for a power press. Protective devices now include movable interlocking guards, fixed barrier guards and light curtains and sensors that detect the entry of fingers or the operator's hands. Unfortunately, machines in many workplaces are unguarded or inadequately guarded, according to Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA). Even though the OSH Act requires that employers provide a workplace "free from recognized hazards," workers operating and maintaining machinery suffer approximately 18,000 amputations, lacerations, crushing injuries and abrasions annually. Unsafe equipment also causes more than 800 deaths per year.

Please contact our machine guarding attorneys for a free consultation. Call us at 201-585-9111, or contact us today with our quick inquiry form. We handle machine guarding cases in New Jersey and New York.