I like the TV show “HouseSmarts ” This week they had a segment “Training for the Trades”. It opened with a shot of this young lady at a wood lathe. I was shocked by the poor safety protocols. In this one frame I noticed 4 violations. At one point the long hair was in front of the shoulders.
Later they showed someone cleaning metal chips from a milling machine with compressed air.
When I took shop class any one of those would get you a sit down.
I don't think you're being too picky, but I will admit that I do one of those things on a regular basis. I have chronic idiopathic utecaria (ICU) which basically means I break out in itchy and burning hives by the littlest things. One of those things is shavings skimming across my arms. For that reason I wear a long sleeve nylon jacket. To minimize my risk I chose a jacket that has elastic at the end of the sleeves so it grips above my wrist (I do get hives there but at least its not my entire arms), and the light weight jacket is one size too small so its snug. Because I know the danger risk I like to think that I'm more aware or cautious when I'm at the lathe.
They are turning a spindle. I personally don't think a face shield is needed. Sure on larger spindles or bowls or things that can hurt you but not smaller spindles. She does have her hair pulled back. It's behind her. Should she have it in a bun, this isn't the 30's. Sorry, having a rough week and this just hit me wrong. We should be celebrating the fact that someone is actually teaching turning, or for that matter of fact anything that isn't sitting at a computer. Kids need hands on skills. It improves their feeling of self worth.
It is rare to see someone wear a face shield when spindle turning. Safety glasses? Always.
Unlike a bowl or bowl blank, even a serious catch is not going to launch the wood. The energy in a 2-3" spinning object is nothing like that of a bowl blank.
A very thin spindle might break with a catch or poor technique but the mass and energy in it is very small - the pieces just drop.
Tight sleeves are different than loose sleeves.
I'd be more concerned about the lack of a dust collector but maybe they wear respirators when sanding.
I spent 30 years in the safety business, so I always look for safety issues in any videos I watch. I looked at this clip and didn't really see the problems you mentioned.
We have developed an attitude in the safety business that we should ALWAYS do some things and NEVER do others. That makes compliance easy, but circumvents judgment in safety issues. The first step in OSHA's PPE standard is to do a hazard assessment. IF hazards are present, THEN you develop a program to reduce the hazard.
During the few clips where she was actually turning, I never saw chips flying high enough to reach her face. If chips don't hit your face, no face shield is required. If the sleeves were loose and flopping, she'd need to do something, but I turn in long sleeves routinely, but they are elastic and pushed up on my forearm. As for her hair, I've never had that problem and won't, but it looked like she'd have to lean way over the lathe before it became a factor. Her posture looked like it would not be a hazard even with it in front of her shoulder.
From watching the whole video, I was impressed with the safety program this school has developed across the curriculum. Looks like they are giving their students a good foundation for future jobs.
I can't believe so many don't think the long hair is an issue. A Yale student was killed when her long hair got tangled in a lathe.
All it takes is for her to drop the gouge bend over to pick it up and the hair could get very close to the spinning wood.
Where I used to work there was a machine shop where a drill press could be used for any staff who needed it. Fancy stuff was for the machinists only. In the male long-hair era years ago a hair net was required for those with long hair and it was not the length of the hair in the video.
I don't use safety glasses no matter what I'm turning, I have a full face shield which is just as handy to put on. The higher quality one gets used for bowl turning.
we do mostly as you suggest...on the manual lathe and manual knee mill.
Neither of those is enclosed to contain chips and coolant (or worse in the case of a crash).
Real world....in production....air is the norm....really.
Of course the operator must be aware that there are areas we do not blow chips into....under the way covers for example.
Note that most machining centers are delivered with an air gun very conveniently located for the operator to use inside the machine.....again....industry standard.
The picture below shows a Haas machining center as delivered.
Most of the newer CNC equipment have been designed to accommodate the use of compressed
air for automated cleaning and removal of parts from the machine. It is the older conventional
designed metal lathes that were the main issue with using compressed air. Take an old machine
apart and you will ask yourself how did all of these shavings get into this cavity? The obvious answer
is the typical use of compressed air to remove the chips from the machine. For a production worker
this is common practice, if the operator is forced to take the machine apart to address these issues
they usually take better care in removing chips. If someone else has to dismantle the machine to clean
it and put it back into proper working order then the operator will never take his time to prevent the
problem from occurring. On the older machines you paid the price in an ever decreasing efficiency of
the operation of the machine and it's parts over time and the increased frustration of the operator to
make the parts in a timely manner when the machine is gummed up with crap. When I rebuild an old
metal lathe I usually end up with a coffee can full of metal chips, shavings and fines from the carriage
assembly and cross slide assembly. This material can take it's toll on the tolerance of the machine and
it's parts over time. This was always a problem in the old machine shops, production versus maintenance
and reliability of the equipment. If you got paid by the part the machine would pay the price. If you consider the ROI, the machine could be a consumable item which gets replaced over time. Whereas a precision tool room lathe might be cared for in a different manner.
Face shield in this situation not really necessary. Probably a better idea for beginners as they tend to stand directly in the line of fire. Yes, that size of spindle can send shavings/chips up into your face. Glasses at least.
Long hair needs to be totally contained. Going through my Dad's business, which when I worked there no one had long hair, all the machinists if they have long hair, have it secured with bands all the way to the end of the pony tail. If it can go over your shoulder that is a risk.
Long sleeves are fine if they are tight like hers are. No loose sleeve of unbuttoned cuffs.
Sanding hood is pretty much a must here if the wood is dry.
I'm with you on the long hair. One way to address this is to have her tuck it inside her shirt, so it can't swing forward when when bends down. Long sleeves don't bother me a bit as long as they aren't loose. The worst is long sleeves rolled up to the elbows, with the corners sticking out -- making a bad situation many time worse.
I also think safety glasses are adequate for spindle turning, as long as the wood is sound.
Glad to see some teens learning to make something -- anything -- and using their hands, but an eye toward safety can surely make a big difference.
This is the type of program we need in as many high schools as possible these days. Real life training for real jobs that are stable and pay well. I have been arguing for many years that schools are doing our youth a major disservice by forcing everyone towards college and ignoring the trades. There are tons of good jobs available right now in manufacturing, construction, automotive, etc. with very few trained people to fill them. We are still one of the largest manufacturing countries in the world but we don't train anyone to work there. If everyone has to get some often useless college degree, who is going to build their homes and maintain them ? Who is going to repair and maintain their cars? Who is going to build the schools, factories, roads, bridges, etc.? Who is going to drive the trucks, and maintain them, that deliver the supplies and products? Sure we still need engineers and teachers and doctors and nurses and business people to keep things running and growing, but all job options need to be presented in our high schools and the paths to get there. The program shown here is an excellent example of how things can and should work. These kids seem very excited and motivated to have this opportunity to build a future for themselves. Sure there is a significant expense for the schools, but aren't our kids worth it? A joint program of employers, high schools and community colleges could easily train a new workforce to keep us on the front lines of economic growth and stability. A few minor safety issues can be dealt with more easily than a major lack of trained workers for the future. College is not for everyone. You can make a very nice living in the trades as many here can attest to.
If you are going to teach someone how to do something, don't you make sure that they have the right amount of information needed to do it (teaching)? So why would you think that it's OK to teach someone that they do not need the proper amount and type of PPE (personal protection equip) to protect themselves? In this case, she was a newbie and if she was told that she didn't need to put her hair up and to wear a face protector, then she was taught that it's OK to NOT USE PPE and to protect herself from a potential scalping. All she would have had to do was bend forward to get a closer look at what she was doing and have her long hair fall forward and get grabbed by a rotating piece of wood or spur drive.
I happen to agree with your statement. I bet she was told to tie her hair back and she did. She was probably not told to SECURE her hair so it could not fall forward and get near the rotating piece. You are so correct about teaching correct practices in the beginning so it becomes standard practice early and you don't have to try to break bad habits later. A solid foundation holds up a solid structure.
I like the TV show “HouseSmarts ” This week they had a segment “Training for the Trades”. It opened with a shot of this young lady at a wood lathe. I was shocked by the poor safety protocols. In this one frame I noticed 4 violations. At one point the long hair was in front of the shoulders.
