California Code of Regulations
Title 8 - Industrial Relations
Division 1 - Department of Industrial Relations
Chapter 4 - Division of Industrial Safety
Subchapter 7 - General Industry Safety Orders
Group 8 - Points of Operation and Other Hazardous Parts of Machinery
Article 56 - Metal Working Machines
Section 4227 - Metal Shears

(a) Mechanical power and foot and hand power metal shears shall be provided with a guard which will prevent the hands of the operator from entering the zone traveled by the knives of the shears while they are in motion. This guard may be a fixed barrier, set not more than 3/8 -inch above the table (or in accordance with Figure G-8 and Table G-3 of Section 4186), or a self-adjusting barrier with a limit of 3/8 -inch above the table, but that will automatically rise to the thickness of the material.

(b) Automatic clamps of "hold-downs" on metal shears, when cutouts are filled in with plastic or screen, will be acceptable as a guard. Hydraulic or pneumatic hold-downs shall be guarded by U shaped guards coming down to provide a clearance of not more than 3/8 -inch between the table and the bottom of the guard or by other means or methods which will provide equivalent protection for the employee.

(c) When metal shears are guarded by means of a strip of heavy metal in front of the knife, the strip shall be set at such an angle with the table that the cutting line will be visible to the operator.

(d) Partial enclosure guards shall be provided to prevent operator(s) or helper(s) from reaching around or behind the guard and into the point of operation.

(e) Chains, barriers or other means of guarding shall be provided to prevent entry to the rear of the shear during operation.