Health, Safety and Workshop Practice
Health, Safety and Workshop Practice tests hazard recognition, control measures, PPE and emergency procedures.
Hazards and controls
Mechanical hazards include rotating parts, sharp edges and flying swarf. Electrical hazards include damaged leads and wet floors. Fire hazards include flammable solvents and hot work. Chemical hazards include cutting fluid, flux and paint. Noise and dust also cause harm. Control by elimination, substitution, engineering controls such as guards and extraction, administration such as rules and training, and PPE as the last line.
PPE
Wear goggles for chipping, drilling and grinding, safety boots, an apron or overalls, ear defenders for noisy machines, and a welding helmet and screens for arc welding. Do not wear gloves near rotating machinery; do wear them for handling hot work or sharp sheet.
Workshop rules
Keep gangways clear, store tools safely, clamp work, remove chuck keys, switch off and isolate before changing tools, and report damage. Know the emergency stop, first-aid point and extinguisher types: water for class A, foam or CO2 for flammable liquids, CO2 for electrical, and dry powder for mixed risks. Never use water on electrical equipment or burning metal.
Worked example: pedestal drill risk assessment
Hazard: hair or clothing caught in the spindle; control: tie back hair, no gloves, guard in place. Hazard: work spinning; control: clamp it in a machine vice. Hazard: flying chips; control: goggles and guard. Hazard: noise; control: ear defenders if needed. Residual risk is low after controls. Reasoning: the hierarchy removes or guards the hazard before relying on PPE.
Traps
Wearing gloves at the lathe, removing guards for convenience, using water on an electrical fire, leaving a machine running, and ignoring a damaged lead are serious errors. Horseplay is a safety issue, not a joke.