What this is
What is a "reach distance" and why is it measured against a table rather than judged by eye?
What is a "reach distance" and why is it measured against a table rather than judged by eye?
Reach distance is how far a hand, arm or body part could travel through, over or around a guard to contact a hazard. ISO 13857 sets safety-distance tables that translate opening size into the reach that opening actually permits. A gap that looks small can still allow enough reach to touch a moving part, so the measurement, not the impression, is what the checklist records.
What does "Requires A Tool To Remove" actually test?
It tests whether the guard can be taken off using only hands, or whether removal genuinely needs a tool such as a spanner or hex key kept away from the machine. A guard held by a thumbscrew or a quick-release clip fails this test in substance even if it technically requires turning something, because it can still be defeated in seconds without planning.
What is the difference between a guard being "present" and a guard "matching the specification"?
Present only means something is bolted where a guard should be. Matches Specification means that specific guard, at that gap size and that fixing method, is what the risk assessment actually called for. A guard can be present, look fine, and still fail this check because it was swapped, modified or installed differently to what was assessed.
Scope
When is a guarding verification checklist required?
This checklist is one step in a larger programme. Using it for work that belongs to a neighbouring template produces records that are hard to report on later.
Use this template when
- The event or activity this checklist covers has occurred, or is about to
- A new record is needed; each one gets its own ID in the form CHK-2026-000
- A guarding change or modification has just been made and needs verifying before the machine returns to use
- You are running the Machine Safety programme and this is one of its steps
- A linked record needs this one to exist, such as the asset or the risk assessment it checks against
Do not use it for
- Machine Risk Assessment, which assesses a machine across its whole life, including setup, running, cleaning, clearing jams and maintenance.
- Interlock Function Test, which tests that safety interlocks stop the machine when a guard is opened, and cannot be bypassed.
- Robot Cell Safety Assessment, which assesses an industrial or collaborative robot cell, covering reach, speed, force limits and how people enter the space.
- Machine Modification Review, which covers the change itself; a new guard resulting from that change still needs its own verification here.
- Anything outside KnowSafe, which belongs in the workspace that owns that process.
Compliance mapping
Which ISO 13857 requirements does this satisfy?
ISO 13857 supplies the actual safety-distance tables; OSHA 1910.212 supplies the general duty to guard and to fasten guards securely. The template's repeating section is built to answer both at once, per hazard point.
| Clause | Requirement | Where it lands |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 13857 §4 | Guards must prevent a hazard zone being reached, based on an assessed risk, not on appearance | Header |
| ISO 13857 §5 | Safety distances for upper-limb reach over, through or around openings, set out in the standard's distance tables | Guards match the assessment |
| OSHA 1910.212(a)(1) | General duty to guard the point of operation and moving parts | Guards match the assessment |
| OSHA 1910.212(a)(2) | Guards are affixed to the machine, or secured elsewhere if attachment to the machine isn't possible | Guards match the assessment |
| OSHA 1910.212(a)(3)(ii) | The guard is designed and constructed to prevent the operator having any part of the body in the danger zone | Guards match the assessment |
| ISO 13857 §5 | Reach distance verified by measurement against the table, not against the original design intent | Result |
| OSHA 1910.212(a)(1) | Guarding confirmed in place and effective before the machine is released for use | Result |
What it does not cover
- Matches Specification marked yes with no measured gap size recorded, which asserts compliance without the number that proves it.
- Reach Distance Compliant marked Partial with Machine Released For Use marked Yes, which releases equipment against a guard that hasn't cleared the safety-distance table.
- Cannot Be Easily Defeated left as N/A on a guard that is clearly reachable, which waves through the defeat-resistance check the standard exists to force.
- A verifier marked not competent, which invalidates the measurements regardless of the pass or fail ticks recorded against them.
- Any Guard Missing Or Wrong marked No while an individual hazard-point row is marked Fail, which contradicts the very rows the summary is meant to roll up.
Global
Guarding Verification Checklist requirements by country
Machine guarding is governed differently depending on where the machine sits, but the reach-based safety-distance logic underneath it is largely the same document worldwide.
ISO 13857, harmonised under the Machinery Regulation
Supplies the actual safety-distance tables, the numbers a guard has to beat to be considered effective rather than merely present.
A CE-marked machine's guarding is expected to trace back to these tables; a guard that passes by eye but fails the table is a live nonconformity, not a paperwork gap.
OSHA 1910.212
Sets the general duty to guard the point of operation and to affix or secure guards, without prescribing the distance tables itself.
Employers still need a technical basis for what counts as adequately guarded, which is why this checklist pulls its distance logic from ISO 13857 even on a US-only site.
ISO 13857
The reference safety distances used worldwide even where local law doesn't cite the standard by name.
Many jurisdictions without their own machinery-safety code default to referencing this document in practice, so proving a distance against it protects the record even outside the EU.
How to complete it
How to complete a guarding verification checklist, step by step
Filling in every field isn't the same as producing a defensible record. These are the calls that decide whether the checklist proves what it claims to.
Gap Size Millimetres and Distance To Hazard Millimetres should come from a tape or gauge at the machine, not from the original design drawing. Guards get modified, worn, or replaced with a slightly different part over a machine's life, and the drawing stops being true the moment that happens.
A coin, a common flat-blade screwdriver kept in every toolbox, or a quick-release clip doesn't meet the spirit of this check even if it technically satisfies the word "tool". The intent is that removal takes deliberate effort with equipment not routinely at hand.
Reach Distance Compliant and Requires A Tool To Remove both allow Partial. Treating Partial as good enough to release the machine, rather than as a fail with a correction pending, is how genuinely non-compliant guards stay in service between inspections.
Verifier Competent is a single field covering the whole record, but competence to judge guarding on a conveyor doesn't transfer automatically to a press brake or a robot cell. A Pass here should reflect competence for the specific machine being checked, not general safety authority.
What auditors find
Most common guarding verification checklist findings
Patterns worth watching for across completed checklists, not just individual failed fields.
| Finding | Clause | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| Gap Size or Distance To Hazard left blank on a row marked Reach Distance Compliant Pass | ISO 13857 §5 | Require the measurement before the pass tick is accepted; a Pass with no number behind it is unverifiable. |
| Requires A Tool To Remove marked Partial with no note on which tool | OSHA 1910.212(a)(2) | Name the fastener and confirm it isn't a common hand tool available at the machine. |
| Machine Released For Use marked Yes with Any Guard Missing Or Wrong marked Yes | OSHA 1910.212(a)(1) | Block release until the missing or wrong guard is corrected and re-verified, not scheduled for later. |
| Verifier Competent marked Partial or Fail with the rest of the checklist still completed | ISO 13857 §4 | Rerun the check with a competent verifier rather than accept a record built on a compromised assessment. |
| No photo attached on a hazard-point row marked Fail | ISO 13857 §5 | Attach a photo before closing, especially where a correction will happen out of sequence with the record. |
| Risk Assessment link left blank | ISO 13857 §4 | Link the risk assessment so the "as specified" comparison has something real to check against. |
Case in point
Case in point: the guard that passed from a metre away
A packing line guard had been swapped for a similar-looking panel after a breakage, with a slightly larger mesh size than the original. Every subsequent checklist marked Matches Specification and Reach Distance Compliant as Pass, because the panel was clearly present and nobody re-measured the opening against the safety-distance table.
A near-miss during a jam-clearing task finally triggered a proper measurement: the mesh size allowed a hand to reach a nip point the original guard had blocked. The fix wasn't a new template, it was refusing to accept Pass on either field without a recorded Gap Size and Distance To Hazard number behind it.
The template
The template, field by field
The form exactly as it installs. Every field, option, score and conditional rule is editable, and the links to other templates come with it.
3 sections
- Reference
- SAF-093
- Archetype
- Checklist
- Record ID
- CHK-2026-000
- Scoring
- Pass or fail
- Direction
- High is good
- Singleton
- No
- Basis
- ISO 13857, OSHA 1910.212
- Links
- Links Asset
- Tags
- Machine, Verification
- Sections
- 3
- Fields
- 37
- Follow up fields
- 3
- Repeating sections
- 1
- Links out
- 4
Header
12 fieldsCheck ID*
Auto sequence. Format CHK-2026-00000.
The record's own ID. Other templates point at this value.
Status*
Drives who this goes to next.
- Planned2 pts
- In progress2 pts
- Complete3 pts
- Deferred0 pts
- Open0 pts
- Closed3 pts
- Overdue0 pts
Date and Time*
Completed By*
Site*
Site ID*
Format SITE-000.
Links to FDN-001 Site ID
Machine*
Asset ID*
Format AST-0000.
Links to FDN-002 Asset ID
Risk Assessment
Risk ID
Format RSK-2026-00000.
Links to FDN-012 Risk ID
Trigger*
After guarding change, after modification, or annual.
Verifier Competent*
- Pass2 pts
- Partial1 pt
- Fail0 pts
- N/Aexcluded from denominator
Guards match the assessment
Repeats10 fieldsHazard Point*
Guard Specified In Assessment*
Guard Actually Fitted*
Matches Specification*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Gap Size Millimetres
Distance To Hazard Millimetres
Reach Distance Compliant*
Check against the safety distance tables, not by eye.
- Pass2 pts
- Partial1 pt
- Fail0 pts
- N/Aexcluded from denominator
Requires A Tool To Remove*
- Pass2 pts
- Partial1 pt
- Fail0 pts
- N/Aexcluded from denominator
Cannot Be Easily Defeated*
- Pass2 pts
- Partial1 pt
- Fail0 pts
- N/Aexcluded from denominator
Photo
Result
15 fieldsItems Assessed*
Excludes anything marked N/A.
Items Failed*
Score Percent*
Calculated on submission. High is good. N/A items leave the denominator.
Result Band*
- Pass3 pts
- Caution1 pt
- Fail0 pts
Completeness Percent*
How much of the template was actually answered. A high score on a half completed form is not a high score.
Any Guard Missing Or Wrong*
- No3 pts
- Yes0 pts
Machine Released For Use*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Action Required*
Raise the action record, then enter its reference here.
- No2 pts
- Yes0 pts
Priority
- High0 pts
- Medium1 pt
- Low3 pts
CAPA ID
Format CAPA-2026-00000.
Links to FDN-014 CAPA ID
Action Owner
Verifier*
Signature*
Engineering Manager*
Second Signature*
SAF-093 · record IDs look like CHK-2026-000 · Links Asset
Open in KnowellaRun it with agents
From a document you fill in to a programme that runs itself
The form is the easy part. Keeping the guard register current, routing failures to the right owner and holding the evidence together is the work that actually slips.
Holds the guarding verification library against the risk assessment for each machine, so a guard that was never re-verified after a spec change is visible.
Tracks which guards were affected by a modification or breakage repair, and flags the checklist that should follow before the machine returns to use.
Picks up patterns of defeated or missing guards and routes retraining to the crew working that machine, rather than treating it as a one-off finding.
Coordinates the crew, rolls completion and exceptions into one view, and holds every write for your approval before it touches a record.
This template lives in KnowSafe — safety and compliance. Incidents, hazards, permits, inspections and the critical controls behind them.
Meet KnowSafe→Glossary
Guarding Verification Checklist definitions and key terms
- Reach distance
- The distance a limb could travel through, over or around an opening to contact a hazard, set out in ISO 13857's safety-distance tables against opening size.
- Point of operation
- The location on a machine where work is performed on the material, such as cutting, forming or assembling, and the specific zone OSHA 1910.212 requires to be guarded.
- Guard defeat
- Removing, bypassing or disabling a guard without authorisation, whether by taking it off, propping it open, or reaching around it, which this checklist checks for directly.
- Fixed guard
- A guard held in place permanently or by fasteners needing a tool, as distinct from an interlocked guard that stops the machine when opened; this checklist covers the fixed case.
- Danger zone
- Any zone within or around a machine where a person can be exposed to a risk of injury, the area every gap and reach measurement on this checklist is protecting.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about guarding verification checklist
What is the guarding verification checklist template based on?+
It is built against ISO 13857 and OSHA 1910.212. ISO 13857 is the international standard on safety distances to prevent hazard zones being reached. OSHA 1910.212 is the general US machine-guarding requirement, covering the duty to guard the point of operation.
What sections does the guarding verification checklist contain?+
There are three sections: Header, Guards match the assessment, Result. Together they hold 37 fields, 29 of which are required, with the guards section repeating per hazard point.
How often is a guarding verification checklist raised?+
A new record is raised after any guarding change, after modification, and at least yearly. Each one is given an ID in the form CHK-2026-000, so it can be traced and referenced from other records.
Which programme does the guarding verification checklist belong to?+
It is part of Machine Safety, aiming for guard integrity verified, interlocks tested, and jam clearing controlled rather than improvised.
How is a guarding verification checklist scored?+
Scoring is pass or fail, high is good. The score exists to make the form tell you something concrete about guard effectiveness, not to produce a percentage for its own sake.
Can the guarding verification checklist template be changed?+
Yes. Every field, option, score and conditional rule is editable, and the links to other templates come with it. Most teams install it as-is, run it for a cycle, then adjust.
Keep going
Related templates and programmes
Industries this is written for
Programmes this belongs to
Used together in Machine Safety
Lockout/Tagout Procedure (Machine Specific)
Sets out exactly how to isolate a specific machine, listing every energy source and isolation point
LOTO Periodic Inspection
Checks that a specific energy control procedure is being followed correctly in practice
Machine Risk Assessment
Assesses a machine across its whole life, including setup, running, cleaning, clearing jams and maintenance
Interlock Function Test
Tests that safety interlocks stop the machine when a guard is opened, and cannot be bypassed
Robot Cell Safety Assessment
Assesses an industrial or collaborative robot cell, covering reach, speed, force limits and how people enter the space
Pinch Point Survey
Walks a machine or line looking specifically for pinch, nip, shear and crush points
More in Machine Safety
Machine Risk Assessment
Assesses a machine across its whole life, including setup, running, cleaning, clearing jams and maintenance
Interlock Function Test
Tests that safety interlocks stop the machine when a guard is opened, and cannot be bypassed
Robot Cell Safety Assessment
Assesses an industrial or collaborative robot cell, covering reach, speed, force limits and how people enter the space
Pinch Point Survey
Walks a machine or line looking specifically for pinch, nip, shear and crush points
Machine Modification Review
Reviews a proposed change to a machine before it is made, covering guarding, controls and the tasks people will do afterwards
Emergency Stop Test Record
Tests that emergency stops actually stop the machine and are reachable from where people work
Written and reviewed by
Siddarth Singh
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Knowella
Certified Safety Professional and industrial and systems engineer with more than a decade inside food supply chain, freight and manufacturing operations. This page was written against the current text of the standards it cites, not against secondary summaries of them.
- Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Board of Certified Safety Professionals
- MBA, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
- MS and BS, The Ohio State University, Industrial and Systems Engineering
- Six Sigma Black Belt
Sources and last review. Reviewed 16 August 2026 against:
- ISO 13857 — Safety distances to prevent hazard zones being reached by upper and lower limbs
- OSHA 1910.212(a)(1) — Machine guarding general requirements
- OSHA 1910.212(a)(2) — Guards affixed to the machine
- OSHA 1910.212(a)(3)(ii) — Point of operation guarding
This page is general guidance, not legal advice. Confirm requirements with your jurisdiction’s regulator.