No gloves with lathe and mill....need citation

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Vavet

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We have a lathe and vertical mill in our workshop at work. It's always been the wild west - anyone who has access to that area can use them freely with no training or anything else. I'm trying to change that.
I've established a "steering committee" to help with this. None of us are formally trained machinists, but we all have some training and experience.

I sent out the lathe safety/operational test to the team today. One guy insists he needs to wear gloves.
I know gloves are a no-no. I'd love to find a citation from OSHA or some other occupational organization, maybe even a metalworking industry group to be able to cite instead of "I found on hobby-machinist.com" or "I found YouTube videos" or "some jackleg on the internet told me it's a bad idea."

Anybody got anything like that?
 
See link attached:

Hand protection

How can workers stay safe when wearing gloves around rotating machinery?
www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com

You set the policy, if they do not comply, then they can go elsewhere. If one looks at many of the OSHA safety reports, many are associated either with clothing, hair or jewelry pulling them into the machine, and or hands/fingers being lost when getting them too close while the machine is in operation. The other commonly sited cause of injury when turning material with a lathe is unsupported work that becomes out of balance and is ejected from the machine.
 

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There is nothing wrong with wearing gloves while loading, unloading, changing a tool, setting up, or operating a machine.

There is something wrong with wearing gloves while putting your hands on moving parts, live spindles, pinch points, etc.

See the difference?
 
Simply tell them if they are hurt wearing gloves on a metal working machine, your company is not liable and no medical coverage.

Have them sign a waiver to that effect, if they still insist on wearing gloves while machining.

Or if you want to be slightly less harsh, nothing more than nitrile gloves on the shop floor.....and they have to provide their own.
 
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I'm not familiar with the US OSHA regs, but there must be something covering gloves. Perhaps contact your local OSHA inspector and have them come down and read the riot act . The way people are suing each other I don't think a waiver is worth the paper it's printed on . I'm surprised that your company is not taking this more seriously, they are liable for anything that may happen.
 
I'm still amazed that high schools (and jr. high) had shop classes with real, live machines. Only one teacher and he couldn't be everywhere.
I knew some kids were so dumb they were bound to be injured or killed- fortunately for them and the school district they were usually cutting class
 
Uh oh , a "steering committee " ? :grin: How bout a " focus group " and hire a faclitator to lead the packs ? :rolleyes: The answer is always no around rotating equipment . Sure gloves are nice to load or unload , but not while the machine is running . You could ask my buddy and ex-coworker about this .................................................if he was still living .

www.baltimoresun.com

Bethlehem Steel employee killed in lathe accident

A Bethlehem Steel Corp. machinist was killed yesterday in an accident involving the lathe he was operating, a company spokesman said. Samuel F. Garcia Jr., 33, of the 1900 block of Churchville Road…
www.baltimoresun.com www.baltimoresun.com
 
mmcmdl said:
Uh oh , a "steering committee " ? :grin: How bout a " focus group " and hire a faclitator to lead the packs ? :rolleyes: The answer is always no around rotating equipment . Sure gloves are nice to load or unload , but not while the machine is running . You could ask my buddy and ex-coworker about this .................................................if he was still living .

www.baltimoresun.com

Bethlehem Steel employee killed in lathe accident

A Bethlehem Steel Corp. machinist was killed yesterday in an accident involving the lathe he was operating, a company spokesman said. Samuel F. Garcia Jr., 33, of the 1900 block of Churchville Road…
www.baltimoresun.com www.baltimoresun.com
Click to expand...
“Survived by a wife and two children”.

Man, thats harsh. And a good reason to be extra careful at work.

That business also has horrible stats for accidents and deaths….10 dead, 25 hospitalized and 12 “less seriously injured” over 8 years? How are they still in business???
 
Vavet said:
We have a lathe and vertical mill in our workshop at work. It's always been the wild west - anyone who has access to that area can use them freely with no training or anything else. I'm trying to change that.
I've established a "steering committee" to help with this. None of us are formally trained machinists, but we all have some training and experience.

I sent out the lathe safety/operational test to the team today. One guy insists he needs to wear gloves.
I know gloves are a no-no. I'd love to find a citation from OSHA or some other occupational organization, maybe even a metalworking industry group to be able to cite instead of "I found on hobby-machinist.com" or "I found YouTube videos" or "some jackleg on the internet told me it's a bad idea."

Anybody got anything like that?
Click to expand...

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) does not have a specific rule that prohibits the wearing of gloves while operating machinery such as lathes and mills. However, OSHA does have regulations that require employers to assess the hazards associated with the tasks their employees perform, and to provide appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect against those hazards.

In some cases, wearing gloves while operating machinery could increase the risk of an accident or injury, such as if the gloves become caught in the moving parts of the machinery. Employers are responsible for assessing the hazards associated with their specific machinery and tasks and determining what PPE, including gloves, is appropriate to protect their workers.

While OSHA does not have a specific regulation or citation that prohibits the wearing of gloves while operating machinery such as lathes, it does offer guidance on when gloves should not be worn. The guidance can be found in OSHA's standard 29 CFR 1910.132(a), which requires employers to assess the hazards present in their workplace and provide appropriate PPE to protect employees against those hazards.

OSHA's General Industry Digest, published in 2019, states that gloves should not be worn while operating certain types of machinery, including lathes, if the gloves could become entangled in the moving parts of the machine. The following excerpt is taken from the OSHA General Industry Digest:

"Wearing gloves can create a hazard when working with machines with moving parts, such as lathes, drills, or milling machines. The gloves can catch on rotating parts, pull the operator's hand into the machine, or make it difficult to perform precise movements. The operator should not wear gloves and should secure long hair and clothing that might get caught in the moving parts."

SO to recap, since employers are legally liable in the event of injury or death, employers, and representatives they may delegate to form a safety committee to write rules can dictate rules they they can justify with a sound reason, which OSHA has provided you.
 
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