Workplace Safety, Health and Hygiene; Personal Protective Equipment
What this domain tests
This unit tests hazard recognition in a sewing and cutting room, the correct selection of personal protective equipment, and basic factory hygiene and emergency practice.
Hazards you must name
- Mechanical: needle punctures, cuts from shears and rotary cutters, entanglement with handwheel, belt or motor.
- Electrical: frayed cords, overloaded sockets, wet floors near machines.
- Ergonomic: static seated posture, repetitive strain, eyestrain from poor task lighting.
- Dust and lint: respiratory irritation and a real fire load.
- Chemical and fire: adhesives, spotting agents, lint plus electrical faults.
PPE selection rules
- Thimble on the middle finger of the working hand for hand sewing.
- Cut-resistant glove on the hand guiding the cutter at the cutting table.
- No gloves near rotating machinery - entanglement risk; use a needle guard and finger guard instead.
- Safety glasses for rotary cutting and trimming; dust mask in cutting and embroidery rooms; closed-toe non-slip shoes, apron, hair tied back, no loose sleeves or dangling jewellery.
- Hygiene: handwashing, no food at the machine, clean drinking water, toilets, first-aid box, dry-powder or CO2 extinguisher for electrical fires.
Worked example
A question asks for PPE at two stations. At the straight-knife cutting table: cut-resistant glove, apron, safety glasses, closed shoes. At the lockstitch machine: no gloves, hair tied back, needle guard fitted, closed shoes and a finger guard. The reasoning is entanglement: anything loose near a rotating handwheel is a hazard, so glove use is station-specific, not universal.
Traps that cost marks
- Recommending gloves for machine sewing.
- Putting the thimble on the index finger.
- Using water on an electrical fire.
- Ignoring ergonomics because it is not a visible injury.