1910.216: Mills and Calenders in Rubber and Plastics
Employers using mills and calenders in the rubber and plastics industries must install equipment per this section and subpart S, install new mills so the top of the operating rolls is not less than 50 inches above where the operator stands, and provide a safety trip control in front and back of each mill. The trip control must be accessible, operate readily on contact, and be a body bar, triprod or tripwire type as described in the rule.
Key takeaways
- 1910.216 is part of OSHA's general industry standards (29 CFR Part 1910, Subpart O).
- OSHA cited it 12 times in the last 3 years, in 10 inspections, with $88,437 in current penalties.
- Most citations: OK (3), TN (3), PA (2).
- Most-cited part: 1910.216(b) Mill safety controls (4 citations).
- Free 5-minute toolbox talk for your crew below.
In this article
What this rule covers
29 CFR 1910.216, "Mills and calenders in the rubber and plastics industries", is an OSHA general industry standard (Part 1910, Subpart O). It has 24 numbered paragraphs. The official text below is copied word for word from the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR). The numbers, injury cases and training on this page show how OSHA enforces it on real job sites.
Official text
Show the full text of 1910.216 (24 paragraphs)
(a) General requirements —
(1)-(2) [Reserved]
(3) Auxiliary equipment. Mechanical and electrical equipment and auxiliaries shall be installed in accordance with this section and subpart S of this part.
(4) Mill roll heights. All new mill installations shall be installed so that the top of the operating rolls is not less than 50 inches above the level on which the operator stands, irrespective of the size of the mill. This distance shall apply to the actual working level, whether it be at the general floor level, in a pit, or on a platform.
(b) Mill safety controls — Open (b) 4 citations
(1) Safety trip control. A safety trip control shall be provided in front and in back of each mill. It shall be accessible and shall operate readily on contact. The safety trip control shall be one of the following types or a combination thereof: 4 citations
(i) Pressure-sensitive body bars. Installed at front and back of each mill having a 46-inch roll height or over. These bars shall operate readily by pressure of the mill operator's body. 2 citations
(ii) Safety triprod. Installed in the front and in the back of each mill and located within 2 inches of a vertical plane tangent to the front and rear rolls. The top rods shall be not more than 72 inches above the level on which the operator stands. The triprods shall be accessible and shall operate readily whether the rods are pushed or pulled. 1 citations
(iii) Safety tripwire cable or wire center cord. Installed in the front and in the back of each mill and located within 2 inches of a vertical plane tangent to the front and rear rolls. The cables shall not be more than 72 inches above the level on which the operator stands. The tripwire cable or wire center cord shall operate readily whether cable or cord is pushed or pulled.
(2) [Reserved]
(3) Auxiliary equipment. All auxiliary equipment such as mill divider, support bars, spray pipes, feed conveyors, strip knives, etc., shall be located in such a manner as to avoid interference with access to and operation of safety devices.
(c) Calender safety controls — 6 citations
(1) Safety trip, face. A safety triprod, cable, or wire center cord shall be provided across each pair of in-running rolls extending the length of the face of the rolls. It shall be readily accessible and operate whether pushed or pulled. The safety tripping devices shall be located within reach of the operator and the bite. 3 citations
(2) Safety trip, side. On both sides of the calender and near each end of the face of the roll, there shall be a cable or wire center cord connected to the safety trip. They shall operate readily when pushed or pulled. 3 citations
(d) Protection by location — 1 citations
(1) Mills. Where a mill is so installed that persons cannot normally reach through, over, under, or around to come in contact with the roll bite or be caught between a roll and an adjacent object, then, provided such elements are made a fixed part of a mill, safety control devices listed in paragraph (b) of this section shall not apply. 1 citations
(2) Calenders. Where a calender is so installed that persons cannot normally reach through, over, under, or around to come in contact with the roll bite or be caught between a roll and an adjacent object, then, provided such elements are made a fixed part of a calender, safety control devices listed in paragraph (c) of this section shall not apply.
(e) Trip and emergency switches. All trip and emergency switches shall not be of the automatically resetting type, but shall require manual resetting. Open (e)
(f) Stopping limits — Open (f) 1 citations
(1) Determination of distance of travel. All measurements on mills and calenders shall be taken with the rolls running empty at maximum operating speed. Stopping distances shall be expressed in inches of surface travel of the roll from the instant the emergency stopping device is actuated. Open (f)(1)
(2) Stopping limits for mills. All mills irrespective of the size of the rolls or their arrangement (individually or group-driven) shall be stopped within a distance, as measured in inches of surface travel, not greater than 11⁄2 percent of the peripheral no-load surface speeds of the respective rolls as determined in feet per minute. Open (f)(2) 1 citations
(3) Stopping limits for calenders. Open (f)(3)
(i) All calenders, irrespective of size of the rolls or their configuration, shall be stopped within a distance, as measured in inches of surface travel, not greater than 13⁄4 percent of the peripheral no-load surface speeds of the respective calender rolls as determined in feet per minute.
(ii) Where speeds above 250 feet per minute as measured on the surface of the drive roll are used, stopping distances of more than 13⁄4 percent are permissible. Such stopping distances shall be subject to engineering determination.
[39 FR 23502, June 27, 1974, as amended at 49 FR 5323, Feb. 10, 1984; 61 FR 9240, Mar. 7, 1996]
Source: eCFR, text current as of 2026-10-15.
Where and how often it was cited
| Year | Citations |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 5 |
| 2025 | 6 |
| 2026 | 1 |
Top states: OK (3), TN (3), PA (2), RI (1), SC (1)
Largest penalties
| Employer | Location | Penalty for this rule |
|---|---|---|
| THE CARLSTAR GROUP LLC | CLINTON, TN | $32,400 |
| SUPERIOR TIRE & RUBBER CORP. | WARREN, PA | $14,000 |
| SURTECO NORTH AMERICA INC | AUBURN, PA | $12,500 |
| MOLDED PRODUCTS, INC. | BROKEN ARROW, OK | $7,116 |
| PLASTICS ENGINEERING COMPANY | SHEBOYGAN, WI | $6,385 |
Free toolbox talk
A 5-minute crew talk on 1910.216, plus alerts when this rule changes. Free.
OSHA interpretation letters
- Trip and Emergency Switches on Mills and Calenders (2021-08-31)
- OSHA machine guarding standards and the ISO/IEC standards adopted under the GATT; National Emphasis Program on Amputations (2003-05-13)
- Clarification of under voltage protection on metal-working equipment and emergency stop devices. (1999-04-28)
- Safety concerns in rubber mills. (1992-05-28)
- Acceptable use of the presence sensing device (1991-04-12)
- Use of an emergency jog reverse control during mill rescue operations. (1983-06-30)
- Calculating the stopping distance limits for mills. (1975-03-21)
Most-cited parts of this rule
- 1910.216(b) Mill safety controls 4 citations
- 1910.216(f)(2) Stopping limits for mills 1 citations
- 1910.216(f) Stopping limits 1 citations
- 1910.216(f)(3) Stopping limits for calenders
- 1910.216(e) Trip and emergency switches
- 1910.216(f)(1) Determination of distance of travel
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Frequently asked questions
How high must the rolls be on a new mill?
The top of the operating rolls must be not less than 50 inches above the level on which the operator stands.
Where must safety trip controls be located?
In front and in back of each mill.
How high may triprods or tripwires be?
Not more than 72 inches above the level on which the operator stands, and within 2 inches of a vertical plane tangent to the front and rear rolls.
About this page
Sources
- 29 CFR 1910.216 (eCFR), text current as of 2026-10-15
- U.S. Department of Labor enforcement data: OSHA inspections, citations and accident records, copied nightly; data as of 2026-10-20
3-year window. Federal OSHA only; state-plan rules are not counted. Plain-language text is a summary, not legal advice; the official text controls. Black Belt Safety is not part of OSHA or the Department of Labor.