Machine guarding and training on drilling rigs

March 21, 1990

The Honorable Joseph E. Brennan
Member, United States
House of Representatives
[Recipient address omitted]
Dear Congressman Brennan:

Thank you for your letter of December 21, 1989, addressed to Ms. Ruth Knight, Director, Office of Intra-Governmental Affairs, concerning a recent inquiry made by your constituent, Mr. Maurice Libner, regarding Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations that pertain to drilling rigs. Please accept my apology for the delay in this response.

One of the enclosures with your letter was a letter dated May 14, 1982, from Mr. Robert E. Dickinson, the President of Mobile Drilling Company, Inc., to the U.S. Department of the Interior. You expressed concerns with respect to Mr. Libner's statement that "OSHA and other agencies are unclear . . . in their regulations pertaining to safety on drilling rigs."

To safeguard employees from rotary actions involved in drilling operations, where machine guarding is required, employers are obligated to comply with OSHA's general industry standards contained in Subpart O of 29 CFR 1910, Machinery and Machine Guarding. A copy of the relevant standard is enclosed. The OSHA standard at 29 CFR 1910.212(a)(1) establishes general requirements for machine guarding and is applicable to all types of machinery which are not covered by specific OSHA standards. The language of the standard is performance oriented, meaning that employers may choose the most suitable method for protecting their employees.

[illegible in source]

In addition to requiring appropriate machine guarding, OSHA also requires employers to train employees to recognize and avoid hazards.

Thank you for your interest in safety and health. If we may be of further assistance, please contact us.

Sincerely,

Gerard F. Scannell
Assistant Secretary