Specific Rules of Thumb for Shop Safety!

Never walk away from a running machine.Finish your cut and back off the tool and turn off the machine.
Don't let ANYONE distract you when you are makeing a cut.See above.
Never work tired take a brake and start again when you can focus.
The machines we use can and will hurt,mame or kill you.
Think about what you want to do before you start.Then think about it again.
Always double check that every thing is tight before you start your machine.
All these tips come from 29 years working whith my uncle Tucker working in his shop. NO deaths but we came close too many times.
I have no CNC in my shop so some of this will make no sence to you that do.So I say to you that do chime in and update my tips. With CNC in mind.
*****Just Saying*******Gator************
 
Re: Brake cleaner and Welding

Woah, this is pretty scary... FWIW, I only use 80 or 90% isopropyl alcohol from the drug store when I need to degrease before welding. And when you get the occasional cut or knuckle scrape, its handy to splash a little on right away.


I just read this thread today.
It is a very important reminder, not a joke at all. :scared: :yikes::faint:
If you must use the stuff, make sure it is entirely gone before you apply any heat to it.

http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?t=182941
 
I have watched many videos on machining with a lathe or mill. I see many people wearing gloves, some are rubber and some are leather. I hope and pray they never get snagged because the machine is going to turn your hand into mush while you are laying on the floor screaming your fool know it all head off from the pain.

Skip (I have been a toolmaker for 40 years and still have all my fingers)
 
I have noticed that when doing a small electrical job (wiring, replacing a fuse, repairing something) people usually do not take off their rings & watches. BAD IDEA!!!

I have a 30 year old, 1 1/2" diameter, scar on my wrist that reminds me of how bad of a practice that is.
It is amazing how fast 12 volts can make a watch band luminous and give you a 3rd degree burn. Just think what 120, 240, or 440 volts could do. :whiteflag:
 
Can't add much to the excellent advice already given except to have a well-stocked first aid kit in the shop and KNOW how to use it. Accidents happen, regardless of how careful we all try to be, and basic knowledge of wound treatment and a phone close by can make a major difference in the outcome of an injury.

I'm a (happily!!!) retired Physician and have treated many injuries over the years, both in my clinic and in the ER. If I had to guess which machine caused the most injuries in that time I would have to say the Drill Press. Yup, the DP. Seems a lot of folks like to hand-hold items and when that bit breaks through it starts to twirl that piece of work and you have instant hamburger.

The other machine that gets a lot of folks is the simple bandsaw. I suspect the two seconds it takes to grab a push stick interrupts their work flow too much and they would rather slice into their hands instead. Its amazing how effective a band saw blade is at cutting human flesh.

Lathes and milling machines tend to eat limbs and bodies - I've seen it. For all the reasons given in the previous posts, please be very careful around these powerful machines. Long sleeved shirts around a spinning lathe chuck is an invitation to disaster, believe me. Hanging jewelry around your neck is almost as bad.

I highly recommend taking a course in basic first aid. Many community resources are available, as are books and articles. Keep in mind that treating a simple cut with a good antibacterial wash and dressing it properly can prevent most infections if done quickly. If you clean and dress a cut inside of the first two minutes or so you will rarely have an infection and will heal much faster; wait an hour and you're going to have issues. If you get hurt, STOP and deal with it now.

Be safe, everyone. This hobby is not worth body parts.
 
While most may look at the thread title and say "nothing I dont know", there are always things you can learn AND ones to be reminded about. There are some great points listed here, especially the one regarding welding and chemicals. In the old days I worked with all kinds of chemicals, Carbon tet, EDC etc. The big problem with chemicals is they can "change" when exposed to IR or UV radiation. Personally I use a lot of carb cleaner (NOT brake cleaner crap they sell now) as the old brake cleaner may be toxic but doesnt have CFC's, where the new ones do. CFC's are nasty things when "split" as indicated by the previous post, plus it doesnt work near as well as real carb cleaner.

The only thing I can think of adding to the list right now is care and proper handling/storage of ANY pressurized cylinder. People sometime treat these thngs (like argon and TIG gas tanks) like indestructable metal tubes, but they can kill VERY FAST. There is a reason they should ALWAYS be chained up, as it really doesnt take a lot to knock a valve off them. I came 1/4" from death moving a Halon cylinder from a site (being removed), as the bottle activated while being carried (by my boss/buddy) when a defective manual activation assembly broke from the bottle (they figure it was due to thermal shock). This chuck cut a 4" chennel in the top of my head, but I got off far easier, as my buddy was dead before he hit the pavement. Discharge of pressurized gas went straight through his head. Gives you a whole new look at life when you hold someone close to you thats gone.

I service portable extingusihers (work in the fire protection field) and have seen what damage they can do. Have seen small ones (CO2) go through solid poured concrete walls.

So, be very carefull with your tanks, only takes a second and then its like trying to put a genie back in the bottle.
 
I think it is pertinent to -go through trouble- to make it CONVENIENT to be safe, deterring the temptation to do anything else... to SET-UP convenient safety.

One way I make sure not to leave tools in dangerous places, like chuck keys, is to have an official, SPECIFIC place they go- right at the machine. I keep chuck keys either in a wooden tool block at the machine, or on a spring loaded janitor's key-belt return that reaches down to the chuck easily.

Other tools as well, at each machine, at convenient reach, but out of the way of interference with any operation.

I hang pairs of safety glasses on handwheels at each machine. I usually have a pair on already, and keep them on each day, but I can't forget that now.

I also shield everything I can. I admit I'm not religious about it, but lexan between me and a spinning part or chuck blocks debris and liquids, and may deflect anything coming loose (God forbid).


Bernie
 
Another may be to wear a welding beanie or a cap when working on the lathe. Had a chip fly up and land on my bald head the other day. Wasn't long in trying to get rid of that, then put on a beanie.:eek:uch:
 
Old Chipper;114051Long story short said:
I recently read about a college student who got killed that way. She was working alone on a lathe. Snapped her neck!
Such a shame, those accidents should not happen.:angry: They are not accidents in my book, it is negligence - different species altogether. :*****slap2:
 
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