Rank: New forum user 
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Can anyone tell me on the legality of putting a cover over an emergency stop button on machinery? The cover stops accidental activation of the stop button but requires the person to lift a cover before they can hit the button. I am not sure as to the legality of the cover although I am sure that it would be better repositioning the control etc than placing an obstruction between the user and the button. Many thanks.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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254 Emergency stop controls should be easily reached and actuated. Common
types are mushroom-headed buttons, bars, levers, kick-plates, or pressure-sensitive
cables. Guidance on specific features of emergency stops is given in national,
European and international standards.
The above is taken from the approved code of practice for PUWER regulation 16. The first line says it all by covering will it be easy to use. It also depends on the risk assessment. I don't know if you are a H&S professional or an employee asking the question. I would advise that you get hold of a copy of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) and look at regulation 16.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Totally agree with Farrell, that you need to read and comply with PUWER; however I might suggest that if the stop button you are having a problem with is being activated accidently during use, that it's probably in the wrong place. Just a personal opinion, but we find the kick type emergency stops to be the best for us in a woodworking environment as they mean the workpiece can still be controlled whilst the machine is brought to a safe stop. The machine supplier or the company that services or maintains the equipment should also be able to give you advice.
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Rank: Forum user
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the mushroom type stop button ie protruding from the machine, are PUWER compliant.
If you cover or impede the stop button for any reason it breaches puwer.
Not sure I understand that the machine gets switched off accidentally.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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If my arm was trapped in a machine I don't think I'd want to lift a cover before pushing the button with my free arm :-(
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Rank: New forum user
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Many thanks to everyone who took the time to reply, I did advise the Rig maintenance supervisor that it would be advisable to remove the cover and reposition the control. I used to be a safety officer in the transport industry but I am now working as a operator for an oil service company hoping to get into the safety side in the oil business.
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Rank: Forum user
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This appears to be a human factors as well as a PUWER issue.
As others have said its mostly down to risk assessment/task analysis.
It can be perfectly acceptable to have covers over emergency stops, to prevent inadvertent operation.
Its quite common in aircraft to have covers over the switches that operate emergency switches.
Another way is to have a cover over a switch/button which is held in place by a short length of thin but easily breakable 'tell tale' copper wire.
If you think of a normal 'break glass' fire alarm button in a building, this is essentially the same idea.
If you re-position the emergency button you will need to think about the human factors side of the topic - can all operators easily reach the E stop?, is it in a logical position? will there be a tendency for operators to try and reach the 'old' switch before realising their error and hiting the button in its new position.
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