The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is renewing its National Emphasis Program (NEP) on Amputations in Manufacturing Industries, focused on preventing amputations in manufacturing workplaces.
Under the renewed program – which aims to find and reduce dangers that could lead to amputations and other injuries in the manufacturing sector – OSHA will conduct inspections of manufacturing facilities to ensure compliance with safety practices while operating, servicing, or maintaining machines. This includes controlling dangerous energy sources and making sure machines are properly guarded to prevent amputations. The program looks at companies using machinery that pose a risk of amputation.
Significant changes in the updated emphasis program include:
- An updated list of North American Industry Code System establishment codes identified for inclusion in the program.
- Allowing establishments that had an inspection under the NEP in the previous 24 months and did not report an amputation to be deleted from the programmed inspection list.
- Revisions to the OSHA Information Systems coding instructions.
The updated program will replace the previous version that ended on June 27, 2025, and will be in place until 2030.
For more detailed information on this NEP, please download OSHA DIRECTIVE NUMBER: CPL 03-00-027
Source: OSHA National News Release June 26, 2025
Background:
OSHA’s enforcement history shows that employees are often injured when machinery or equipment is not properly guarded or safely maintained, or when hazardous energy is not controlled.
OSHA selected five standards (29 CFR) that are generally recognized as being related to amputation hazards:
- 1910.147 The control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout).
- 1910.212 General requirements for all machines. (machine guarding)
- 1910.213 Woodworking machinery requirements.
- 1910.217 Mechanical power presses.
- 1910.219 Mechanical power-transmission apparatus.
The first two, Lockout Tagout (1910.147) and Machine Guarding (1910.212) are consistently on the OSHA top 10 most cited violations year after year. In FY2024 they were number 3 and number 10, respectfully.
National Emphasis Programs
NEPs are temporary programs that focus OSHA's resources on particular hazards and high-hazard industries.
For a complete list of current NEPs, visit the OSHA website.
Additional resources: preventing amputations
OSHA Publication 3170, (2007). Provides information to help identify and manage common amputation hazards associated with operating and using stationary equipment. (PDF)
OSHA QuickCard™ Protect Yourself Amputations, (2015). Discusses amputations and the best way to prevent them. (PDF)
Machine Guarding eTool. OSHA eTools are "stand-alone" Web-based training tools on occupational safety and health topics. (Site)
