Keeping workers safe is a daily challenge for every manufacturer, particularly those that operate one or more automated assembly lines. To achieve this goal, many companies make sure their machines are equipped with sensor-based safety components that meet ANSI, ISO, ISA and OSHA standards.

ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL—A 25-ton power press crushed a temporary worker’s right ring finger when the machine she operated cycled while her hand was inside. The incident, at a steel parts manufacturing plant here, occurred when light curtains that act as machine guards failed to work properly.

Last year, OSHA handed out 2,520 citations for machine guarding violations.

Since the start of the Great Recession in 2008, many Tier 1 suppliers have either closed or downsized.