Lesson 2:

Shop Safety
Eng. Abobakr Mohammed
Safety First
Safety Awareness

Most machinists go their entire career with no serious

injury even though they work with many different
machines that expose them to risks. Machinists are, by
nature and training, careful and methodical. They
learn from experience an attitude of safety awareness
and respect for equipment. Knowing that ignorance
can hurt you is essential to cultivating an attitude of
safety.
Which is safer CNC
machines or manual
machine tools, why?
CNC Machines vs.
Manual Machine
Tools
CNC Machines

• They are usually completely enclosed, which

reduces the risk of flying chips, debris from broken
tools, or contact with a spinning tool.
Manual Machine Tools

• Chips ejected from the machine can cause eye

injuries.
• Cutting tools, and the chips they produce, are sharp.
Some Examples Where A Failure
To Know Or Apply Shop Safety
Rules Caused Injury
 A person forgets to wear safety glasses
and sustains an eye injury from a
metal chip thrown over the top cover
of a CNC mill as they walk through
the shop.
1
 A person leans against a bench where
a cutting chip has fallen, resulting in a
cut to their hand.

2
 A person wearing open sandal shoes
has a chip fall between their foot
and shoe, causing a cut.

3
 A person leaning over a machine
suddenly raises their head and
bumps into a tool stored in the tool
changer, causing a severe cut.

4
 A person reaches into the machine
to remove a part, gets distracted and
rakes their arm against an end mill.

5
 A person grinds a piece of aluminum
on a bench grinder with a stone type
wheel. The aluminum embeds in the
porous wheel and expands due to
heating, causing the wheel to fail
and throw off fragments at high
6 speed.
Personal Conduct
& Shop Etiquette
Personal Conduct & Shop Etiquette

It is important to follow strict of rules of personal

conduct and etiquette in the shop. This will keep you
and your peers safe and promote a hospitable and
professional environment:
Personal Conduct & Shop Etiquette

• Know where your hands are at all times.

• Move deliberately and always look where your
hands are going.
• Always be aware of what could happen if your
hand slips. For example, when tightening a bolt,
think about what would happen if the wrench
slipped. Would your hand or arm contact a tool? A
pile of sharp chips?
Personal Conduct & Shop Etiquette

• Always be aware of what could happen if you slipped

and lost your footing. Would your center of gravity
cause you to fall into a sharp tool or other hazard?
• No horseplay or practical jokes are allowed in the
shop.
• Be considerate. Do not engage in loud or
unnecessarily talk.
• Do not interrupt someone working at the
machine. This could cause them to make a
mistake.
Personal Conduct & Shop Etiquette
• Never borrow tools from a private toolbox without
first asking the owner. If they refuse, accept it
graciously.
• Respect professional Machinists. There is much
you can learn from them.
• Do not make unreasonable demands (“I need it
yesterday” etc.).
• Clean up after yourself. Leave the machine and
surrounding area at least as clean as you found it.
• Always put tools and equipment where you found
them.
Shop Clothing
What is ANSI?
Shop Clothing
• Wear ANSI approved safety glasses or ANSI safety
approved glasses with side shields. You must
always wear safety glasses in the shop, not just
when at the machine.
• If machining operations are loud, use hearing
protection.
• Do not wear flip flops or sandals. Leather shoes
are best. Steel toe shoes are not necessary unless
handling heavy objects that would crush regular
shoes.
Shop Clothing
• Do not wear long sleeve shirts because these
could get caught in equipment. Wear short
sleeves or T-shirts.
• Remove rings and watches when at the machine.
• Do not wear short pants. Wear sturdy long pants
like blue jeans or work pants.
• Long hair should be tied back or under a hat to
prevent it being caught in the machine spindle.
• Never wear gloves as they can be caught in the
machine. Latex gloves are acceptable.
General Safety
Practices
Rules for a safe workplace
• Never use any equipment which you have not
been trained to operate by a qualified person.
• Never tamper with a machine safety guard or
switch.
• Get into the habit of constantly tidying the
workspace. A clean workplace is safer. Random
metal can not only scratch, and ruin finished
parts, they can cause severe cuts.
• Use caution when handling cutting tools. They are
very sharp. Never handle a tool by its cutting
flutes.
Rules for a safe workplace:
• Never start or jog the machine until you have
checked that the work area is clear.
• Never push the start button on the machine
unless you are certain your setup is capable of
safely holding the part against all cutting forces
during machining.
• Use caution when running a new program:
especially at the start of program and after a tool
change.
• Know where the emergency stop is on the
machine and practice using it before you need it.
Rules for a safe workplace
• Never run a machine alone or without other
people within hearing distance.
• When working with someone else at the machine,
clearly communicate who is running the machine.
• Never have one person touching the control while
the other is working in the machine envelope.
• Use a paint brush to sweep away sharp chips.
Never use your hands or a rag.
• Never use an air hose to clear chips from a
machine. Flying chips are dangerous to you and
others.
Rules for a safe workplace:
• Liquids spills are slipping hazards. Clean spills
immediately.
• Dirty or oily rags must be stored in a fireproof
canister. These can spontaneously combust and
cause a fire.
• Lift with your legs, not your back.
• Never lift anything more than you can
comfortably handle.
• Get help handling heavy or bulky objects.
• Never leave a running machine untended.
Rules for a safe workplace
• At the end of the program, command the machine
to position the part close to the operator so it can
be easily reached without leaning far into the CNC
machine.
• Before shutting the machine down, remove any
tools from the spindle.
• Avoid contact with coolant. Water-based coolant
contains microbes that can cause infection.
• Immediately treat and cover even minor cuts.
• Report any injuries immediately.
• Remain alert. Think safety in everything you do.
Rules for a safe workplace:
• Liquids spills are slipping hazards. Clean spills
immediately.
• Dirty or oily rags must be stored in a fireproof
canister. These can spontaneously combust and
cause a fire.
• Lift with your legs, not your back.
• Never lift anything more than you can
comfortably handle.
• Get help handling heavy or bulky objects.
• Never leave a running machine untended.
CNC Safety
Practices
CNC Safety Practices
• Use machine Rapid and Feed override controls to
slow the machine down.
• A major cause of crashes is setting the tool or
fixture offset incorrectly. Pay particular attention
to moves at the start of program and immediately
after a tool change as the tool moves towards the
part. Use single-block mode to advance through
the program one line at a time until the tool is at
cutting depth.
CNC Safety Practices
• Remain at the machine with a hand on or near the
emergency stop button.
• Stop machine motion at the first sign of trouble.
 Warning
What you don’t know CAN hurt you.
Never operate a machine that you have not
been properly trained to use by a qualified
person.
Read the machine operator manuals
and follow all safety instructions.
THINK SAFETY FIRST in all you do.
THINK SAFETY
Homework

• What are the appropriate shop

clothing?
• What are general shop safety
rules?