OSHA Power Press Inspection Checklist: the General and Directed Components of 1910.217(e)

The US federal standard for mechanical power presses, 29 CFR 1910.217(e)(1), requires the employer to establish and follow an inspection programme with two parts. The general component covers periodic and regular inspection of each whole press, with a signed certification record of every inspection, maintenance and repair task. The directed component requires the clutch/brake mechanism, antirepeat feature and single-stroke mechanism to be inspected and tested at least once a week, with a signed record of each maintenance task. If you manage maintenance at a US plant from the UK, or audit a US supplier, this is the structure an OSHA inspector will expect to see.

How the two components compare

The general component in detail

Paragraph (e)(1)(i) has three limbs. The employer must conduct periodic and regular inspections of each power press to ensure all of its parts, auxiliary equipment and safeguards, including the clutch/brake mechanism, antirepeat feature and single-stroke mechanism, are in safe operating condition and adjustment; must complete necessary maintenance or repair before operating the press; and must maintain a certification record of each inspection and each maintenance and repair task.

The regulation leaves the frequency to the employer. OSHA's Machine Guarding eTool describes what regular periodic inspections should check, among other things: the clutch and brake mechanism, mechanical linkages and air counterbalances are operating and used properly; there is no dirt or water in the air lines; and the machine is running at its proper speed (RPM or SPM). Any worn, damaged or malfunctioning part should be replaced or repaired before the machine is used. OSHA publication 3170 recommends basing the programme on the manufacturer's recommendations, good engineering practice and OSHA provisions such as 1910.217(e).

It helps to define the scope of a general inspection the way OSHA does. The eTool says each mechanical power press must be looked at as an individual system, made up of, among other things, the frame, all mechanical parts, clutch and brake assemblies, electrical or electronic systems, hydraulic and pneumatic systems, present and future tooling or dies, die setup, safeguarding, material handling, part size and production requirements. A general-component checklist that covers only the clutch and brake therefore misses most of what (e)(1)(i) asks for: all parts, auxiliary equipment and safeguards.

The three mandatory record fields

1. Date of the inspection, maintenance or repair work.
2. Signature of the person who carried it out.
3. Serial number or other identifier of the press.

Nothing more is prescribed: no form, no findings field, and no retention period in the text held by the base. If your organisation needs a retention rule for US records, verify it against the official source rather than assuming the UK practice applies.

The weekly directed component

Under (e)(1)(ii) the employer must inspect and test each press on a regular basis at least once a week to determine the condition of the clutch/brake mechanism, antirepeat feature and single-stroke mechanism, complete any necessary maintenance or repair on them before the press runs, and keep a certification record of each maintenance task with the date, signature and press identifier.

Definitions sit in 1910.211(d). Antirepeat is the part of the clutch/brake control that limits the press to one stroke if the tripping means is held operated, and requires release of all tripping mechanisms before the next stroke. The single-stroke mechanism is the arrangement on a full revolution clutch that limits slide travel to one complete stroke per clutch engagement. A full revolution clutch cannot be disengaged until the crankshaft has completed a full revolution; a part revolution clutch can be disengaged at any point before that.

Which presses can skip the weekly check

Under (e)(1)(iii), the directed component does not apply to presses that comply with (b)(13) control reliability and (b)(14) brake system monitoring. Control reliability means a failure in the control system does not stop the normal stopping action from being applied, but does prevent a further stroke until it is corrected. The brake monitor must block a successive stroke if stopping time or braking distance deteriorates beyond the safety distance in use, and must check brake performance on every stroke. Such presses still need the general component.

Whether a particular press qualifies is a common point of disagreement between maintenance and HSE. You can put the question to the OSHA machine guarding knowledge base, which answers with the wording of (b)(13), (b)(14) and (e)(1)(iii).

Checklist for a US press shop audit

• Is there a written programme with both a general and a directed component?
• For each press without (b)(13)/(b)(14) controls, is there evidence of weekly testing of the clutch/brake, antirepeat and single-stroke mechanism?
• Do general-component records show every inspection, maintenance and repair task, each dated, signed and tied to a press serial number or identifier?
• Are directed-component maintenance tasks recorded with the same three fields?
• Are pull-out devices inspected and adjusted at the start of each operator shift, after each new die set-up and when operators change, per (c)(3)(iv)(d), with records kept under paragraph (e)?
• Are guards still within Table O-10 and secured with fasteners not readily removable by the operator?
• Were repairs completed before the press was put back into service?
• Is there evidence of the original and continuing competence of maintenance staff, required by (e)(3)?
• Did any modification come with the instructions required by (e)(2)?

Related duties: injury reports and training

1910.217(g) requires every point-of-operation injury to operators or other employees to be reported within 30 days to OSHA's Directorate of Standards and Guidance, or to the State Plan agency, with details including the employer, the injured employee and task, the type of clutch, the safeguard in use, the cause, the type of feeding, the means of actuation and the number of operators. Appendix H of the eTool gives a sample report form. Under (f)(2), operators must be trained and instructed in the safe method of work before starting, and supervised to ensure correct procedures are followed.

Frequent weaknesses

• A tidy weekly log and no general-component inspections at all.
• Presses identified by bay number rather than serial number or another stable identifier.
• Electronic records with no signature from the person who did the work.
• Assuming a modern press is exempt from weekly checks without confirming both (b)(13) and (b)(14).
• Relying on a 2007 summary instead of the current regulation.

The text relied on is the eCFR version of 1910.217, up to date as of 1 October 2026 when compiled, with no changes to the section recorded after 3 January 2017. The machine guarding base holds it with OSHA's guidance, so you can check a record template against the exact paragraph.