In my incident reports, more serious injuries come from clothing snagged on 540 rpm PTO shafts than from stock. What stand-off distance do you teach around a running shaft — I insist on guarded drivelines and a two-foot minimum when it’s engaged.
Two feet works for me, but I teach a ‘hands-in-pockets past the paint line’ rule on 540s so nobody reaches while walking by. I put a bold stripe on the deck where that line lives, and in winter I hand out little clips to pin hoodie strings before anyone gets near — keeps cuffs out of the blender.
My rule is simple: if the plastic guard’s moving, kill the PTO and fix the chain right then. It keeps that stand-off honest, because a spinning shield means the restraint’s loose or someone brushed it — I’ve had a hoodie string graze and that cue saved me. Good refresher here: Power Take-Off (PTO) Safety.