1.2: Shop Safety and Expectations
- Page ID
- 67162
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1.2 Shop Safety and Expectations
A woodworking shop is a place to build skills, solve problems, and make things. It is also a working environment with sharp tools, powerful machines, moving material, dust, noise, and other hazards.
Safe work is not separate from good woodworking. It is part of good woodworking.
Learning Outcomes
After completing this section, you should be able to:
- Describe the basic safety expectations of the WMT Woodshop.
- Identify personal protective equipment and clothing requirements.
- Explain when instructor approval is required.
- Describe your responsibility for maintaining a safe and organized shop.
Before You Use a Machine
You must receive instruction in the correct and safe use of a machine before operating it.
If you are unsure about a machine, tool, setup, material, or procedure, ask your instructor before continuing.
Some operations are considered special setups because they involve greater-than-normal risk. Special setups require approval from an instructor, instructional aide, or embedded tutor before the machine is operated.
Never assume that because you have used a similar machine somewhere else, you automatically know how the equipment in the WMT lab should be used.
Dress for the Shop
When working in the lab:
- Wear safety glasses or other required eye protection.
- Tie back or tightly cover long hair.
- Remove jewelry and accessories that could become caught in machinery.
- Secure loose clothing and roll long sleeves above the elbows.
- Do not wear gloves while operating woodworking machinery.
- Wear any additional hearing, respiratory, or other protection required for the operation.
Personal protective equipment helps reduce risk, but it does not replace safe operating procedures.
Pay Attention to What You Are Doing
Many shop accidents occur when people are distracted, rushed, tired, careless, or overly confident.
When someone is operating a machine:
- Do not distract or startle them.
- Do not crowd or hurry them.
- Give the operator adequate working space.
- Stay aware of moving material and other people in the shop.
If you are operating a machine, your attention should be on the operation until the machine has completely stopped.
If you are ill, fatigued, or taking medication that may affect your ability to operate machinery safely, tell your instructor.
The Operator Controls the Machine
Except during an instructor-approved special setup, the person operating a machine should start and stop that machine.
Never make measurements, adjustments, or clean a machine while its cutter, blade, or other moving parts are still in motion.
If a machine sounds unusual, vibrates excessively, appears damaged, or is not operating correctly, shut it down and notify your instructor.
Do not attempt to repair or adjust a machine unless you have been specifically instructed and authorized to do so.
Use Safe Material
Inspect lumber before machining it.
Loose knots, severe cracks, excessive warp, foreign objects, and other defects can make a machining operation unsafe.
Do not machine used lumber that may contain nails, screws, staples, or other hidden metal. Green and treated lumber are also prohibited from normal milling operations in the WMT lab.
When in doubt about a piece of material, ask.
Keep the Shop Clean
Cleanup is part of woodworking.
A cluttered shop creates trip hazards, hides problems, interferes with machines, and makes it harder for everyone to work safely.
At the end of a work period:
- Clean the machines and work areas you used.
- Return tools, guards, pushsticks, jigs, and accessories to their proper locations.
- Clear scraps and hazards from benches, machines, aisles, and floors.
- Help with the overall shop cleanup.
- Continue helping until your instructor dismisses the class.
Professional woodworkers take responsibility for the workspace, not just their own project.
Report Problems Immediately
Tell your instructor immediately about:
- Injuries or accidents, even if they appear minor.
- Damaged tools or machines.
- Unsafe conditions.
- Spills or trip hazards.
- Unusual machine sounds or vibration.
- Safety procedures you do not understand.
Asking for help is always preferable to guessing.
The Safety Manual Is Required
This resource introduces safety concepts as they relate to the skills taught in WMT 101. It does not replace the WMT Wood Lab Safety Manual, the safety test, machine demonstrations, or instructor direction.
Machine-specific safety requirements in the Safety Manual must be followed whenever you use that equipment.
Check Yourself
- When should you ask an instructor for help with a machine or procedure?
- Why are gloves prohibited while operating woodworking machinery?
- What is a special setup?
- What should you do if a machine makes an unusual sound or vibration?
- When is shop cleanup finished?