Greetings all,
The month of June in the United States is National Safety Month. While in my own line of work (and many of yours) and our mutual hobby dictate that we follow safe practices *Every* month, I would like to propose we all take a little extra time this month to step back and re-evaluate our workshop overall. Take just a few minutes to look around at everything in your shop, and the obvious and unavoidable things aside (such as rapidly spinning machines), make a mental note of possible safety concerns.
- Are all of your manufacturer-supplied safety shields in use, and in good working order?
- Are all of your machines properly maintained, and in good working order?
- Have you read the safety section of the manual for each of your machines?
- Do you have a clear exit path when working, should something go wrong?
- Are there any serious tripping hazards in your shop?
- Is there a hazard of anything heavy falling in your shop?
- Are heavier items stored on lower shelves, to avoid muscle strain?
- Are all chemicals properly stored and at least minimally labeled with what they are?
- Are you aware of potential bad reactions should any chemicals in your shop mix with each other?
- Have you studied the MSDS for some of the more questionable chemicals, so you are aware what to do in case of emergency? (MSDS is freely available online at a number of websites)
- Are there any frayed or exposed electrical cords in your shop?
- Are you overusing any extension cords? Extension cords should never have more than one device plugged in to them (and ideally should only be used as temporary solutions)
- If you make extensive use of extension cords, are they have a heavier gauge to avoid fire hazards?
- Do you wear appropriate 'PPE' (Personal Protective Equipment - chemical gloves, safety glasses, faceshields, closed-top shoes, leather aprons etc) as necessary?
- Do you keep loose clothing and long hair out of the danger zone of machinery?
- Do you have at least one fire extinguisher easily accessible?
- Do you have a well stocked first aid kit readily accessible?
As you look through your shop, spend a few seconds looking at each item, with a safety perspective. If anything makes you pause and reconsider it - it's probably not safe!
We all have a tendency to ignore safety for long periods of time. Being safety-conscious is not fun, and not productive; We would all rather jump into the shop and get busy with what little free time we have, to make big chunks of metal into smaller chunks of metal. But as seen in another thread, Safety is an Attitude, and if you don't step back and refresh your memory from time to time, it's too easy to fall into unsafe practices. We rarely realize it until it is far too late.
After doing this quick safety checklist, make a list for yourself, and go through it once a month. Also think of the particular operations you are doing and ask yourself if those are safe as well. An action doesn't have to cause loss of life or limb to be unsafe, just an injury - that minor cut could get oil in it, which can lead to infection, or more serious health problems down the road. There are safer ways to do everything we do - when filing on a lathe, stand to the side so if the lathe should catch the file it won't send it into your body, but off to the side. When cutting with a knife, cut away from your body, or to the side, not towards yourself. Simple things can make a huge difference.
Let's all make a pledge to be safe - not just this month, but every day we set foot in our shops.
- Ryan
(I am a Safety Focal for my shop at Boeing, where no job is inherently safe, but every worker has safety drilled into them from day one. It's the ones who grow lax in that mindset that get run over by towed jets or crushed in spoilers, as you may have heard in the news recently.)
The month of June in the United States is National Safety Month. While in my own line of work (and many of yours) and our mutual hobby dictate that we follow safe practices *Every* month, I would like to propose we all take a little extra time this month to step back and re-evaluate our workshop overall. Take just a few minutes to look around at everything in your shop, and the obvious and unavoidable things aside (such as rapidly spinning machines), make a mental note of possible safety concerns.
- Are all of your manufacturer-supplied safety shields in use, and in good working order?
- Are all of your machines properly maintained, and in good working order?
- Have you read the safety section of the manual for each of your machines?
- Do you have a clear exit path when working, should something go wrong?
- Are there any serious tripping hazards in your shop?
- Is there a hazard of anything heavy falling in your shop?
- Are heavier items stored on lower shelves, to avoid muscle strain?
- Are all chemicals properly stored and at least minimally labeled with what they are?
- Are you aware of potential bad reactions should any chemicals in your shop mix with each other?
- Have you studied the MSDS for some of the more questionable chemicals, so you are aware what to do in case of emergency? (MSDS is freely available online at a number of websites)
- Are there any frayed or exposed electrical cords in your shop?
- Are you overusing any extension cords? Extension cords should never have more than one device plugged in to them (and ideally should only be used as temporary solutions)
- If you make extensive use of extension cords, are they have a heavier gauge to avoid fire hazards?
- Do you wear appropriate 'PPE' (Personal Protective Equipment - chemical gloves, safety glasses, faceshields, closed-top shoes, leather aprons etc) as necessary?
- Do you keep loose clothing and long hair out of the danger zone of machinery?
- Do you have at least one fire extinguisher easily accessible?
- Do you have a well stocked first aid kit readily accessible?
As you look through your shop, spend a few seconds looking at each item, with a safety perspective. If anything makes you pause and reconsider it - it's probably not safe!
We all have a tendency to ignore safety for long periods of time. Being safety-conscious is not fun, and not productive; We would all rather jump into the shop and get busy with what little free time we have, to make big chunks of metal into smaller chunks of metal. But as seen in another thread, Safety is an Attitude, and if you don't step back and refresh your memory from time to time, it's too easy to fall into unsafe practices. We rarely realize it until it is far too late.
After doing this quick safety checklist, make a list for yourself, and go through it once a month. Also think of the particular operations you are doing and ask yourself if those are safe as well. An action doesn't have to cause loss of life or limb to be unsafe, just an injury - that minor cut could get oil in it, which can lead to infection, or more serious health problems down the road. There are safer ways to do everything we do - when filing on a lathe, stand to the side so if the lathe should catch the file it won't send it into your body, but off to the side. When cutting with a knife, cut away from your body, or to the side, not towards yourself. Simple things can make a huge difference.
Let's all make a pledge to be safe - not just this month, but every day we set foot in our shops.
- Ryan
(I am a Safety Focal for my shop at Boeing, where no job is inherently safe, but every worker has safety drilled into them from day one. It's the ones who grow lax in that mindset that get run over by towed jets or crushed in spoilers, as you may have heard in the news recently.)
