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Guard geometry guide · no automatic calculation

Machine-Guarding Mesh Openings, Safety Distances & Floor Gaps

Connect openings, reach paths and hazard location before a guard panel or distance is approved.

Build the RFQ briefBrowse Industrial Partition Mesh

Page responsibility

One page, one decision.

Use this guide for the stated decision, then move the result into the next project step.

This page decides

Which reach-path, aperture, stand-off, height and lower-edge information must be supplied for responsible guard design.

This page does not decide

A universal safe opening, guard height, distance, floor gap, stopping distance or compliant layout for an unknown machine.

Carry forward

Issue the machine-specific hazard map and risk assessment to the integrator, then require a controlled drawing and evidence basis.

Reach-path demonstration · external machine-safety specialist

Watch opening size and hazard distance change one decision.

This external demonstration uses a guard-opening scale against a fixed panel, wire mesh and small aperture. The motion makes the page's central point visible: an opening cannot be accepted without locating the hazard along the actual reach path. The example is educational, not a universal dimension table or a machine-specific compliance decision.

What to watch for

  1. 0:26 — the rotating wheel is identified as the hazard before the guard is assessed
  2. 0:54 — the scale passes through the wire-mesh opening and reaches the hazard
  3. 1:08 — a smaller aperture changes permitted reach, but the hazard location still controls the result

Transferable lesson: begin with the hazard and foreseeable approach, then review every mesh aperture, lower edge, door clearance and penetration against the applicable controlled method. A product photograph or nominal mesh size is insufficient.

Source boundary: Airline Hydraulics and its MPSA machine-safety group published this demonstration on YouTube. The trainer, dimensions and assessment belong to that third-party example; they are not XIEHENG certification, a safe-distance schedule or approval for any machine. Use the exact applicable standard edition and the responsible risk assessment for the real hazard and layout.

Build the guard-layout brief Open the original on YouTube

Direct answer

Opening and distance are one decision, not two catalogue fields.

A smaller aperture does not remove the need to locate the hazard and review every access path.

Safety distance depends on who may be exposed, the shape and size of the opening, whether reach is over, under, around or through the guard, the location of the hazard and the risk-reduction strategy. The lower edge, corners, cable penetrations, conveyor openings and interfaces with walls or machines can control the result even when the main panel looks suitable. Record the exact source table, edition, assumptions and responsible approval rather than publishing one generic mesh-and-distance pairing.

Input register

Measure the path a person can actually use.

Draw each condition; do not infer it from a product photograph.

Input Record Supplier can coordinate Responsible confirmation
Hazard zone Location, motion, energy, ejection and hazardous states. Panel line, posts, penetrations and proposed interfaces. Risk assessment and required risk reduction.
Reach path Over, through, under, around, climbing or whole-body access. Available guard geometry and detailed drawing. Applicable safety-distance method and acceptance.
Openings Mesh aperture, frame gaps, door clearances and service penetrations. Manufacturing dimensions, tolerances and edge treatment. Permitted opening and stand-off relationship.
Lower edge Floor level, unevenness, drains, kerbs, cables and cleaning needs. Bottom panel condition and adjustable interface options. Allowed access, trip, hygiene and maintenance boundary.
Stopping / approach Machine stopping behavior and foreseeable approach. Space reservations and interface coordinates only. Safeguard positioning and control-system response.

Drawing method

Create a condition schedule instead of one nominal dimension.

Special bays and interfaces deserve their own IDs.

  1. 01

    Mark the hazard envelope.

    Use the approved machine and cell layout, including moving workpieces, tooling, conveyors and ejection paths.

  2. 02

    Mark every foreseeable approach.

    Include access during setup, cleaning, maintenance and fault recovery, not only the operator position during production.

  3. 03

    Schedule openings and interfaces.

    Give each mesh panel, door gap, floor gap, penetration and transition a reference that can be reviewed.

  4. 04

    Freeze the evidence basis.

    Record the governing documents, exact editions, approved assumptions, deviations and drawing revision before release.

Source map

Separate geometric reach from safeguard positioning.

Purchased standards and project-specific review control the final values.

official source

ISO 13857:2019

Safety-distance principles intended to prevent hazard zones being reached by upper and lower limbs.

Open →official source

ISO 13855:2024

Positioning safeguards with respect to approach of the human body; relevant where stopping and approach behavior enter the design.

Open →official source

ISO 14120:2015

Guard design and selection requirements for fixed and movable guards.

Open →official source

OSHA machine guarding

Official overview of general guarding requirements and the need to prevent contact with dangerous moving parts.

Open →

Next decisions

Carry geometry into access and controls.

A dimension schedule is incomplete until doors, abnormal tasks and restart behavior are coordinated.