This program covers the following: why guards are used, the risks associated with mechanical hazards, the requirements for effective machine guarding, the different types of guards and their functions and safe work practices when working with equipment and machinery. Advances in technology, safety standards and risk management have all contributed to increasingly effective guards being used in the workplace today, but despite all these advances, horrific accidents still occur. When guards are not in place or when guards are not used correctly, people can be pulled into machines, have limbs amputated and body parts crushed. It is therefore critical that we all understand how to avoid accidents and injuries when working with equipment and machinery.