Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Wear steel toe cap safety boots; they are not that expensive and they will
helptoprotectyourfeetfrombeinginjuredifyoudropaheavyobjectonthem.
The 'trainer' version is particularly comfortable.
Other clothing
If overalls are not worn, long shirt sleeves should be rolled up above the el-
bows or better still, wear short sleeve shirts. Loose sleeves can catch on ro-
tating work and quickly pull your hand or arm into the cutter. Obviously, if hot
swarf is flying around, keep your arms protected.
Under no circumstances wear a necktie when operating a mill.
Long hair should be tied back; if it gets caught in the rotating spindle, you
could be pulled into the mill.
Do not wear wristwatches, rings or jewellery when in the workshop as they
could catch on a cutter. The same goes if you are moving a milling machine
into or out of the workshop; they could catch on a falling mill.
SAFE PRACTICE
Lifting
Back injuries can be caused by incorrect lifting practices. The important thing
to do is to bend your legs to lift rather than bending your back. A hoist or en-
gine lift should be used to lift heavy items. A stool in the workshop will take
pressure off your legs and will make a welcome break after you have stood at
the milling machine for a while.
In case of fire
If you are machining titanium or magnesium both of them can ignite and burn
vigorously so keep the accumulation of swarf to a minimum. If the material
does catch fire, don't use water or water-based coolant as an extinguisher, it
will make matters much worse. Before machining, get a large bucket and fill
it with dry sand, cover it and keep it by the mill. The sand will smother the
flames very effectively. You could also buy one of the special fire retardants
used in industry.
