Green Arrow: You can go in the direction of the arrow, but you must yield the right-of-way to other traffic at the intersection as required by law (see Chapter 5).

Because pinch points only show up whenever parts are moving, you won’t be able to spot them until work is underway. That’s why staying diligent throughout the workplace is necessary to avoid injury.

MEANING: These signs give information about rules for traffic direction, lane use, turns, speed, parking and other special requirements.

Of course, you need to get your employees in on your efforts. Let them know about the potential dangers of pinch points so that they too can keep a keen eye out for them.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration officially defines the term: “any point other than the point of operation at which it is possible for a part of the body to be caught between the moving parts of a press or auxiliary equipment, or between moving and stationary parts of a press or auxiliary equipment or between the material and moving part or parts of the press or auxiliary equipment.”

MEANING: Indicate interstate, U.S., state or county routes. The shape tells you the type of route you are on. The sample signs, left to right, are for state, U.S., and interstate routes. When you plan a trip, use a highway map to decide which routes to take. During the trip, watch for destination signs so you will not get lost, or have to turn or stop suddenly.

You cannot make a turn at a red light if there is a NO TURN ON RED sign posted or another sign, signal or pavement marking prevents the turn. You are not allowed to turn on a red light in New York City unless a sign that permits it is posted.

MEANING: You are approaching a hazardous location or a location where there is a special rule, as shown in the sample signs. Sometimes a warning sign is joined with a yellow and black "recommended speed" sign. This indicates reduced speed is advised in that area.

Recognizing the importance of pinch point safety is a crucial step in creating a secure environment. Being able to spot these hazards and preparing for them proactively is the best way to avoid incidents. Let’s delve deeper into understanding pinch points and what businesses can do to mitigate their risk.

Among the persons authorized to direct traffic are police officers, fire police, highway work area flag persons, school crossing persons, and school bus drivers.

MEANING: People are at work on or near the roadway and traffic can be controlled by a flag person. A work area speed limit as low as 25 MPH (40 km/h) can be posted. Even if no speed limit is provided, you must drive at a reduced speed through the work zone and you must always obey the flag persons. These illustrations show some signals a flag person will use. Know and obey them.

Solid line with broken line: If you are on the side with the solid line, you cannot pass other vehicles or go across the line except to make a left turn into a driveway. If you are on the side with the broken line, you can pass if it is safe to and you will not interfere with traffic.

You can make a right turn at a steady red light after you come to a full stop and yield the right-of-way to oncoming traffic and pedestrians. You can make a left turn at a steady red light when you turn from a one-way road into another one-way road after you come to a full stop and yield the right-of-way to oncoming traffic and pedestrians.

Some regulation signs have a red circle with a slash over a symbol. This indicates that an action, like a right turn, is not allowed or that some vehicles are restricted from the road. Rectangular white signs with black or red letters or symbols are indications to be alert for special rules.

Stop and Crosswalk Lines: At an intersection controlled by a STOP sign, YIELD sign or traffic light, there can be a white stop line painted across the lane (called a Stop Line), and/or two parallel lines painted across the road (called a Crosswalk). When required to stop because of a sign or light, you must stop before you reach the stop line, if there is one, or the crosswalk. You need only stop at a stop line or crosswalk if required to by a light, sign or traffic officer, or to yield to a pedestrian, in-line skater or scooter at a marked or unmarked crosswalk. A single stop line may be placed at intersections to allow room for larger vehicles (such as tractor-trailers, buses and trucks) to turn without forcing other traffic to back up. It's important that you stop before you reach this stop line. (See "Pedestrians and Skateboarders" in Chapter 11).

Management teams address inherent hazards in the workplace first by determining whether they can be removed entirely or at least replaced with less dangerous components. Failing that, some mitigation strategies include:

Pinch points often occur between two moving objects, such as part of a moving crane or pulley system. Some ways to avoid injuries in this sense and ensure pinch point safety are:

Traffic lights are normally red, yellow and green from the top to bottom or left to right. At some intersections, there are lone red, yellow or green lights. Some traffic lights are steady, others flash. Some are round, and some are arrows. State law requires that if the traffic lights or controls are out of service or does not operate correctly when you approach an intersection, you must come to a stop as you would for a stop sign. You must then continue according to the rules of right-of-way, unless you are told to continue by a traffic officer.

Red Arrow: Do not go in the direction of the arrow until the red arrow light is off and a green light or arrow light goes on. A right or left turn on red is not permitted at a red arrow.

Steady Red: Stop. Do not go until the light is green. If a green arrow is shown with the red light, you can go toward the arrow and only if the intersection is clear.

Yellow Arrow: The protection of a green arrow will end. If you intend to turn in the direction of the arrow, be prepared to stop.

Workers in construction and manufacturing have to be especially aware of pinch points, as they occur often during the use of:

MEANING: Come to a full stop, yield the right-of-way to vehicles and pedestrians in or heading toward the intersection. Go when it is safe. You must come to a stop before the stop line, if there is one. If not, you must stop before you enter the crosswalk. (See "Stop and Crosswalk Lines" under the "Pavement Markings" section of this chapter.) If there is no stop line or crosswalk, you must stop before you enter the intersection, at the point nearest the intersection that gives you a view of traffic on the intersecting roadway.

In a work environment, fingers might get caught on a closing hatch or when two cogs move together and pinch at a contact point. These hazards are created during work operations, so they can be difficult to spot.

Just as they sound, pinch points are places where body parts such as fingers and toes are likely to get caught and “pinched.” Going back to the weight room example, any place where the weights collide with the machinery is a place where fingers might get smashed and injured.

MEANING: Decrease speed as you reach the intersection. Prepare to stop and yield the right-of-way to vehicles and pedestrians in or heading toward the intersection. You must come to a full stop at a YIELD sign if traffic conditions require it. When you approach a YIELD sign, check carefully for traffic and be prepared to stop.

REGULATION SIGNS normally are white rectangles with black letters or symbols, but some are different shapes, and some can use red letters or symbols.

Diamond Symbol:  This symbol indicates reserved lanes for buses, HOV (High­ Occupancy Vehicles) like car-pools and van-pools, bicycles or other special vehicles. You cannot enter and use these lanes unless your vehicle complies with the occupancy or other requirements indicated by signs for the times the special conditions are in effect. When used to designate reserved lanes on city streets, sections of the solid white line that separates the diamond lanes from the normal lanes can be replaced by broken white lines. In these locations, non-HOV can enter the HOV lane if they make a right turn at the next intersection. Bus lanes and HOV lanes are to promote the most efficient use of limited street and highway capacity. They assure that vehicles with the highest importance move the fastest.

Whether we’re talking about pinch points, fire hazards, or other workplace accidents, risk management is key to avoiding potentially dangerous incidents.

Solid lines along the side of the road tell you where its edge is - where the travel lane ends and the shoulder begins. It is illegal to drive across the edge line, except when told to by a police officer or other authorized official or when allowed by an official sign. An edge line that angles toward the center of the road shows that the road is narrower ahead. Lines that separate lanes of traffic that moves in the same direction are white.

Lines and symbols on the roadway divide lanes and tell you when you can pass other vehicles or change lanes. They also tell you which lanes to use for turns and where you must stop for signs or traffic signals. The arrows on these illustrations show the direction of traffic.

Be vigilant when the workday starts. Ask yourself how the day’s tasks will be carried out, what machinery will be involved, and what parts you expect to be moving. Think about how employees will be interacting with the machinery during the day and ways in which pinch points can pose a hazard.

While some minor pinches can cause bruising and broken bones, more severe ones can impact the whole body and even be life-threatening. There have been reports of workers being permanently disabled by pinch points on the job site. This underscores the critical need for stringent pinch point safety measures to protect employees from such devastating injuries.

Traffic signs tell you about traffic rules, special hazards, where you are, how to get where you are going and where services are available.

Lines that separate traffic that moves in opposite directions are yellow. There may be two lines between lanes and lines can be solid or broken. Read Chapter 6 for the rules on how to pass other vehicles.

This concept of pinch point safety isn’t just exclusive to the weight room — workplaces can be rife with these potential hazards that can cause life-threatening injuries to your employees.

Directions given by traffic officers take precedence over signs, signals or pavement markings. If a traffic officer signals you to stop at a green light, for example, you must stop. If an officer signals you to drive through a red light or stop sign, you must do it.

If you’ve ever been to the gym, you’ve probably seen stickers warning patrons of “pinch points,” where your fingers can easily get caught between two moving objects.

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One solid line: You can pass other vehicles or change lanes, but you can only do so when obstructions in the road or traffic conditions make it necessary.

Arrows: Arrows show which lanes you must use. In this illustration, for example, you can turn right only from the right lane. To go straight, you must use the left lane. You must be in the correct lane before you reach the solid line that separates the lanes.

Note:  Practice quizzes are available only for those sections of the manual covering rules of the road (Chapters 4 through 11 and Road Signs).

Double solid lines: You can not pass or change lanes. You cannot go across the lines except to turn left to enter or leave the highway (e.g., to or from a driveway or to do a U-turn see Chapter 5).

Pinch points can also occur between a moving object and a stationary surface. These points often occur whenever moving vehicles like trucks or forklifts.

The best way to ensure pinch point safety proactively is to host regular audits and safety inspections to identify, document, and optimize potential hazards before they become a problem.

Before you move on to Chapter 5, make sure you can identify the signs in this chapter and know what they mean. Also, make sure you can answer these questions: