Machine Shop Hazards

To the uninitiated, a machine shop can look a lot like a torture chamber, and with good reason. Almost any piece of equipment in the shop has the potential to injure you. Walk into a machine shop without training or protective gear, and you have the potential to be pinched, punched, cut, blinded, crushed, impaled, or electrocuted.

For workers, it is critical knowing which machine shop hazards are likely to occur, lowering the likelihood of potential injuries. OSHA assists in making knowledge available with their Basics of Machine Safeguarding information. One of the first safety initiatives in any machine shop is safeguarding equipment, followed by training and personal protective equipment (PPE). 

When it comes to wearing PPE, wearing incorrect safety gear increases the likelihood of injury. For this reason, MCR Safety assists machines shop workers and safety managers by listing out all the common hazards on our Machine Shops industry page. MCR Safety’s PPE and services protect machinists across 17 different hazards.

Here is a look at some of the many hazards these workers face:

Amputations

There are an astonishing number of ways to lose a body part in a machine shop. Fifty percent of mechanical power press injuries result in amputations. Bending machines, presses, rolling machines, saws, shears and shaping machines of any kind can easily remove a finger or worse. Anything designed to cut metal, plastic, or wood will have no difficulty cutting through flesh and bone.

Here is a look at the mechanical components OSHA deems hazardous: 

• Point of Operation – This is where the machine performs work, including cutting, shaping, boring, and forming.
• Power-Transmission Apparatuses – These are components that transmit energy, such as flywheels, pulleys, belts, chains, couplings, connecting rods, spindles, cams, and gears.
• Moving Parts – These are parts of the machine that move during operation, such as rotating motions that may grip clothing and force a worker’s body into dangerous locations.

Keeping all your bits and pieces attached essentially means keeping your body away from places they do not belong. Use proper techniques and always follow proper safety procedures when using any cutting tools. For example, a metalworker definitely should not wear gloves when a machine is functioning.

MCR Safety's UCDO and other glove clips are definite needs for any metalworker.

A worker who has not been properly trained should not be touching metalworking machines. Never let an employer or coworker tell you to use a tool you are not trained to use.

Impaired Vision

Flying fragments, particles and projectiles are always a concern for those machining and installing metalwork pieces. Projections such as screws and burrs during machine operations increase the risk of injury. In addition, there are caustic chemicals, solvents, cleaning solutions and UV light during welding. MCR Safety’s eye protection page and online catalog are excellent resources for selecting different eyewear styles from lined eyewear to face shields and goggles offering 6X greater anti-fog protection.   

Oily Machine Parts

As we highlighted in Safety Tips for Metalworking, lubricants and fluids are used in removing chips from tools, lubricating parts and in cutting operations. While oil always presents a concern, we have designed gloves with excellent gripping properties in oily conditions.