Health, Safety, and Workshop Practice
This domain tests safe handling of pigments, solvents, tools and studio space. Safety is part of professional practice, not an afterthought.
Core rules
- Ventilate whenever using solvents, aerosols, fixatives or dusty pigments. Use extraction or open windows; do not rely on smell alone.
- Wear nitrile gloves and eye protection for solvents, resins and dry pigments. Avoid skin contact with lead, cadmium, cobalt and mercury-based colours.
- Never eat, drink or smoke in the studio. Wash hands before breaks.
- Keep solvents in labelled, closed containers away from flame and heat. Store oily rags in a metal bin with a lid; spontaneous combustion is a real risk.
- Do not pour solvents or paint waste down the sink. Use approved waste containers and follow local disposal rules.
- Keep sharp tools capped, electrical cables dry, and working surfaces uncluttered.
Worked example
Set up an oil-painting corner. Place the easel away from the door, open a window and use a fan to move air outward, not across your face. Put solvent in a lidded jar, wear gloves, and keep a metal rag bin beside the easel. At cleanup, wipe brushes, close the solvent, place rags in the metal bin and wash hands. Reason: each step interrupts a different exposure route-inhalation, skin contact and fire.
Traps
Assuming a non-toxic label means edible. Storing rags in an open plastic bin. Pouring turpentine down the sink. Using solvents near a pilot light. Letting acrylic dry in a brush and then scraping it near the eyes.