Safety and Orientation
Safety and Orientation
This domain tests hazard recognition and safe work practices on sheet metal jobsites: PPE, lockout/tagout, fall protection, material handling, hot work, and jobsite conduct.
Core rules
- PPE: safety glasses with side shields, hearing protection around shears and brakes, cut-resistant gloves for handling sheet edges, safety footwear, and a hard hat where required. Do not wear gloves near rotating machinery such as slip rolls or drill presses.
- Machine guarding: never reach into a shear or brake; use hold-downs and push sticks. Guards stay in place.
- Lockout/tagout: isolate and lock the disconnect, release stored energy, and verify zero energy before clearing jams or changing blades.
- Fall protection: use guardrails, personal fall arrest, or ladders correctly; maintain three-point contact and the 4:1 ladder angle.
- Hot work: obtain a permit, clear combustibles, assign a fire watch, and keep an extinguisher.
- Hazard communication: read the SDS before using sealants, solvents, and adhesives.
Worked example
A powered slip roll jams. Turning the start/stop switch to OFF is not enough because another worker could restart it. The correct sequence is stop, isolate at the disconnect, apply your lock and tag, release hydraulic or spring energy, try the start button to confirm zero energy, then clear the jam. The reasoning is that LOTO protects against unexpected energization, not just the current switch position.
Traps
Wearing gloves at a drill press; bypassing a guard for a quick cut; using compressed air on clothing; assuming the 6-ft construction fall threshold applies in every setting; and starting hot work without a fire watch.