California Code of Regulations
Title 8 - Industrial Relations
Division 1 - Department of Industrial Relations
Chapter 4 - Division of Industrial Safety
Subchapter 13 - Logging and Sawmill Safety Orders
Article 15 - Sawmills
Section 6358 - Edgers

(a) Edgers shall be housed with a guard of No. 8 gauge metal plate, or material of equivalent strength, to close the openings in the end frames, cover the top, and guard the front and back as far down as is practicable.

(b) On edgers equipped with automatic setworks, the circuits which control the saw setting mechanism shall be interlocked with the pressure rolls and the edger picker in such a manner as to prevent shifting of the saws while there is stock in the edger. In the event of power failure, the saws and picker should lock in position without shifting.

(c) All edgers with saw arbors mounted below the feed rolls shall be equipped with an anti-kickback device installed on the in-feed side, designed and maintained to be effective for all thicknesses of materials. The tips of the fingers shall be hardened and kept sharp. See Edger Anti-kickback Device Plate in Appendix A.

EXCEPTION: Edgers having counter rotating arbors which are mounted above and below the feed rolls and act in conjunction with constant pressure hold down rolls.

NOTE: This may not apply when the location of the edger renders the use of these devices unnecessary.

(d) All edgers with saw arbors mounted above the feed rolls shall be equipped with effective anti-kickout devices or barriers located on the outfeed side of the edgers.

(e) Edgers shall not be located in the main roll case behind the head saws. They shall be offset at least 6 feet the husk or mill side of the roll cases.

(f) The pressure roll on edgers shall not be raised while stock is being run, or when any person is in line with the saws.

(g) The edgerman shall not raise feed rolls or fingers while standing in front of the edger, or reach between saws while the edger is in operation.

(h) The edgerman shall not put hands on cants being run through the edger after the cant has become engaged by feed rolls.

(i) Live rolls in back of the edger shall operate at a speed no less than the speed of the edger feed rolls.

(j) Tables in back of the edger shall be kept clear of cants, edging, and obstacles that impair processing.

(k) Saws shall not be sharpened on the arbors or changed, until the machine is positively disconnected from the power and cannot be started without the knowledge of the employee doing the sharpening.

(l) A controlling device shall be installed and located so that the operator can stop the feed mechanism without releasing the tension of the pressure rolls.