Die safety blocks are called by many names: safety blocks, ram blocks, die blocks or prop blocks. Regardless of the term, die safety blocks all have the same purpose: provide protection to employees working in the die area from a free-falling upper die/slide.
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data indicate that approximately three-fifths of all work-related amputations involved a worker’s finger or arm getting caught or compressed by a piece of machinery such as a press or conveyer. Injury statistics compiled by OSHA indicated that 49 percent of the injuries from mechanical power presses resulted in an amputation.