Why Can't Safety Make Sense?

We're about ready to post our May issue cover story about machine safety. Here's an excerpt many of you will identify with: Many small builders are still left mostly to their own devices to figure out which standards to use and how to make their specific machines and users safer. "It's already confusing for builders and users to understand what standard to apply to their specific machine or production process," says T.J. McDermott, senior project engineer and manager at Systems Interface, a system integrator and control panel builder in Bothell, Wash. “But I object when standards are specified by a government, and then we have to buy them from the same third party that interprets and enforces them. If standards are going to be required by law, then they should be a lot easier for everyone to find and access.”