Specific Rules of Thumb for Shop Safety!

HMF

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On the home page, we have the General Rules of Shop Safety printed below,

Use caution when using machinery, power equipment and tools to reduce the risk of personal injury. Always use safety equipment. Always wear safety glasses or approved eye protection. Dust mask, non-skid safety shoes, hard hat or hearing protection should be worn for appropriate conditions. Read and understand all instructions. Keep your work area clean and well lit. Cluttered work environments and poor lighting may cause accidents. Do not operate power tools around explosive materials. Be aware of flammable liquids, gases or dust. Power tools can create sparks which may ignite the dust or fumes. Keep bystanders, children and visitors out of the work area. Always be aware of your surroundings. Machines have no conscience. To avoid distractions that could cause injury to you or others, all visitors should be kept away from the work area. Do not operate power tools while tired or under the influence of drugs, alcohol or medication. A moment of inattention may result in serious personal injury. Loose clothing, jewelry or long hair can be caught in moving parts. Do not overreach. Proper footing and balance enables better control of the tool. Store idle tools and machinery out of reach of children or other untrained persons. Machinery and tools are dangerous in the hands of untrained users.

but I wanted to ask you guys what you felt were the specific rules of safety when working with lathes, milling machines, drill presses, grinders, etc. Things like NEVER storing a chuck key in the chuck, never walking away from a running machine, etc. What rules do you feel are important for shop safety?
 
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I think it all boils down to

1) Wear the right safety equipment
2) Pay attention to what you are doing

Everything else flows from there.
 
the disclaimer mentions jewelry, but some people don't think of their wedding band when they think of jewelry. Wearing rings around rotating machinery can result in the loss of a finger (or at least all the meat that surrounds the bone of a finger). Also, you should not wear gloves around rotating machinery.
 
My 18 year old nephew has been helping me around the shop. Great kid! Knows nothing about shop safety.
Things that should be common since are not so common if you've never been around it.

1. Safety glasses.
Example: I had to make plugs for tubing we were making duck call sleeves
so coolant wouldn't run our the back of the spindle. When I was cutting the part-off
tit I had him hold his hand to catch the tit when it was cut. He said "OWW!!"

Now he wears his safety glasses.

2. No gloves around the drill press.

3. No loose clothing around any moving parts.

4. Never leave a chuck key in the chuck. If you let go of the key take it out of the chuck no exceptions!

I'm sure there are more these are the ones that have came up in the last few weeks for a complete rookie

ITT
 
I am a construction project manager and part of our safety program requires a written work analysis for any task to be performed, no matter how small. I am not suggesting that this is appropriate for the hobby machinist, but the simple idea of completely walking through a project from start to finish before you begin is a huge benefit.
 
Some habits and rules I self-impose...


  • Stop working when you're exhausted or distracted. No burning the midnight oil, quit while you're ahead.
  • Safety glasses at all times when machines are running.
  • Keep your eyes on the workpiece and no flailing your hands around. Hands and fingers should always be moved in a thoughtful and purposeful manner.
  • Keep your face out of the work. i.e. Resist the temptation to inspect closely a part while it's being machined -lest a bit breaks, grinding wheel fractures or a piece comes loose. -The emergency room doctors treat that as seriously as a gunshot wound.
  • Double check that all pieces are chucked/clamped firmly.
  • Never remove swarf (from lathe, mill, surface grinder etc) with your fingers while the machine is running. Use a hook or brush.
  • Never reposition pieces in a mill or drill press when a bit is directly above your hand.
  • Stop and sweep/clean/organize the shop while a job is in progress.
  • Make sure you have proper ventilation in your work area.
  • Keep fire extinguishers around and have a safety kit with a tourniquet.

Welding:
  • Always make sure you're wearing the proper helmet and check settings on auto-darkening types. For auto-darkening types, check function with a flint scratcher at the start of the day (ask me about this one).
  • Keep your face out of the smoke if you're stick welding.
  • No welding while your butt is sitting on the ground.
  • No welding if the clothes are completely sweated-up.
  • No grease or oil around. Throw-out oil soaked gloves.
  • Cover your skin, put pant legs over the boot sleeves. No soft top shoes.
  • No overhead work without the cape -not even for a second.
  • Protect others and use a shielding blanket -and put the dogs in the house where they can't get flashed.

You have to learn that safety is a mindset and engrained with training.

Ray
 
Safety is obviously important to all of us, and there are lots of lists of problems, both specific and general. I don't have much to add except what I do personally to keep safety in mind:

Working with others - talk safety, remind 'em to use safety glasses, ear protection, shoes, whatever. Notice obvious violations and make them known - key in chuck, etc.

Working alone - talk to self - "OK, what's going on here today that can get me in trouble. . ." I'm serious - I do talk to aloud to myself, and it seems to help.
 
If someone comes in to visit while you are machining, shut it off to visit or ask them to wait til you get to a stopping point.
Don't lean on the machines while they are running.
 
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