Safety, Tools and Workspace Management
This domain tests whether you can set up a work area that is safe for a seated or one-handed worker, choose the right hand tool for each job, and keep the bench organised. Most marks here are lost on tool-handling rules and workspace hazards, not on craft skill.
Personal protection
- Eye protection when cutting, drilling or snipping wire - offcuts fly.
- Dust mask when sanding paper, MDF or coconut shell.
- Nitrile gloves for paints, primers and epoxy; cotton gloves only for handling, never near a drill.
- Apron, closed footwear, hair tied back, no loose sleeves or dangling dupatta near rotating tools.
Tool handling rules
- Scissors: carry closed and point-down; pass handle-first.
- Craft knife: cut away from the body, use a steel ruler over a cutting mat, take several light passes instead of one deep one, retract the blade at once.
- Hot glue gun: stand it upright, work over a silicone mat; the nozzle and molten glue exceed 150 °C and cause deeper burns than boiling water.
- Clamps, pliers and a bench hook substitute for hand strength - use them.
Workspace management
Apply the 5S routine: sort, set in order, shine, standardise, sustain. Clamp the work, use a non-slip mat, light the bench to about 300–500 lux, ventilate for fumes, keep two labelled bins (dry recyclable and non-recyclable) plus a sharps box, and keep the aisle clear for a wheelchair.
Worked example
A seated candidate must cut 3 mm cardboard to a 200 mm circle. Clamp the board at two corners with C-clamps, place the cutting mat beneath, hold a steel ruler along the line, and make four light knife passes, turning the board rather than the body. Reasoning: the clamps replace the downward hand force the candidate cannot apply, and light passes stop the blade following the corrugation and tearing the edge.
Traps that cost marks
Using scissors as a pry bar; leaving a hot gun unattended; blowing dust away with the mouth; assuming gloves protect near a drill (they snag); storing knives open in a drawer.