Occupational Safety, Tools and Workshop Practice
Workshop safety
The exam tests hazard recognition, safe tool use and workshop organisation. Hazards include needle and blade injuries, moving machine parts, electricity, dust, dye chemicals, poor lighting and awkward posture. Controls follow the hierarchy: eliminate, substitute, engineer (guards), administrate (training), and use PPE.
Tools and practice
- Measuring: tape, ruler, L-square, French curve, hip curve.
- Cutting: shears, rotary cutter, cutting mat, pinking shears.
- Marking: tailor's chalk, tracing wheel, carbon paper.
- Sewing: machine needle, bobbin, seam ripper, pins. Keep shears for fabric only; paper dulls them. Use a rotary cutter away from the body with the blade closed between cuts. Switch off and unplug machines before threading, cleaning or changing needles.
Worked example
A student must cut 20 layers of cotton with a rotary cutter. Reason: use a cutting mat, a metal ruler and a fresh blade; cut away from the body; keep the guard closed between cuts; do not put fingers in the blade path. For a single curve, a French curve gives a smoother neckline than a straight ruler. Record the reason: the tool must match the task and the safety control must match the hazard.
Traps
Do not use fabric shears on paper. Do not remove a machine guard for speed. Do not treat PPE as the first control. Do not use a seam ripper as a cutting tool for large areas.