Engineering Controls

Employer must use all feasible engineering controls to eliminate or reduce hazards. If a hazard can be eliminated entirely or a less hazardous substitute used, this is the most preferable method of control.

Engineering controls involve technological or physical changes to the worksite, facility, building, equipment, processes, or materials. Engineering controls can be expensive to implement and may not completely reduce a hazard.

Examples of hazard controls include barricades to keep people out of dangerous areas, sound dampening to reduce noise, ventilation to clear potentially hazardous atmospheres, placing pipes and lines clear of work areas, and using interlocks on equipment (such as a device that has to be engaged before a machine will start, to prevent accidental startup).

Never tamper with, disable, or remove an engineering control. If you are having issues with such a control, talk with your supervisor.

To learn more about PPE visit our Personal Protective Equipment Online Training web page.