Bending Guide

Press Brake Safety

A general-awareness overview of press brake hazards, guarding methods, and safe operating practice — not a substitute for training, a risk assessment, or the official standards.

Which standards apply

Press brake safety requirements differ by region, and it's worth knowing which framework actually governs your site rather than relying on a general summary:

• UK: the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) set the legal duty of care, with EN 12622 as the harmonised machine safety standard specifically for hydraulic press brakes. The HSE publishes further guidance on safe use of power presses and press brakes.
• US: ANSI B11.3 is the industry safety standard for power press brakes, alongside OSHA's machine guarding requirements under 29 CFR 1910.212.

Whichever applies to you, the source document — not a blog post — is the authority to work from for compliance.

The main hazard: point of operation

The point of operation — where the punch closes against the die — is where the vast majority of press brake injuries happen. A hand, finger or sleeve caught there during the stroke can result in severe crushing injury in a fraction of a second, which is why guarding this zone is the central concern of every relevant standard.

Beyond the point of operation, other recognised hazard areas include the back of the machine (pinch points during ram movement), material handling (sharp sheared edges, weight of large sheets), noise exposure, and hydraulic system hazards during maintenance.

Common guarding methods

Machines are typically guarded using one or a combination of the following, chosen based on the job, part geometry and risk assessment:

• Fixed and adjustable physical guards — barriers that physically prevent access to the point of operation, adjusted for the part being formed.
• Light curtains / AOPDs (active opto-electronic protective devices) — sensing fields that stop the ram if a hand breaks the beam near the point of operation.
• Laser-based guarding systems — similar principle to light curtains, often used where physical guards would obstruct part handling.
• Two-hand control stations — require both of the operator's hands on separate controls to initiate a stroke, keeping them clear of the point of operation.
• Safety mats and area scanners — used less commonly on press brakes specifically, more often for the wider cell.

The right combination depends on part size, cycle rate, and the specific risk assessment for the job — there's no single universal setup.

General safe operating awareness

These are widely recognised good practices, not a complete or authoritative procedure — always follow your own site's documented procedure:

• Only trained, authorised operators should run the machine.
• Never bypass, remove or defeat a guard, light curtain or interlock for convenience or speed.
• Keep hands clear of the point of operation at all times during the stroke — use hand tools or fixtures for small or awkward parts rather than fingers.
• Be aware of the back of the machine and moving ram, not just the front working area.
• Check tooling is correctly seated and secured before starting a run.
• Follow lockout/tagout procedure fully before any maintenance, tooling change or clearing a jam.
• Wear the PPE specified for the task — commonly eye protection and gloves appropriate for material handling (not gloves that could get caught in moving parts near the point of operation).
• Know the location and operation of the emergency stop before starting work.
• Report any guard, sensor or control fault immediately and stop using the machine until it's resolved.

Frequently asked questions