MACHINE SHOP SAFETY

Safety is number one priority here in the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen. Good laboratory safety practices are essential if labs are to be safe places in which to work. Your safety and the safety of your peers are of utmost importance. No project or work activity is so important or urgent that safe practices can be ignored or skipped. 99% of safety is common sense. Accidents, injuries are often caused by a long series of poor choices and mistakes.  Please see the following list of safety guidelines.

  • Eye protection must be worn in all shops.

  • Closed toe shoes must be worn in all shops.

  • Long pants must be worn when welding. No synthetic fiber clothing when welding.

  • Long hair must be worn in such a manner as to avoid entanglement in machinery.

  • Long sleeves, ties, belts, loose clothing and jewelry must be worn in such a manner as to avoid entanglement in machinery.

  • Spark producing cutting and grinding should be performed in the machine shop, welding shop or out back of the building. Check the work area for combustibles before starting.

  • Use soldering irons away from combustible materials and unplug after use.

  • When not in use, store all flammable liquids in the yellow flammables cabinet.

  • All rechargeable batteries must be stored away from flammable materials as they can spontaneously combust. Battery chargers should be used away from combustible materials. Give bad batteries to the technician for proper disposal.

  • Oily rags should be disposed of in the proper container.

  •  Sharp objects such as razor blades should be disposed of in the appropriate container.
  • Compressed air can be lethal. No horseplay with the air hoses.

  • Keep body parts away from cutting tools on saws, lathes, mills, drill presses and all “point of contact operations”. Use push sticks and work holding devices where practical.

  • Do not allow bar stock to extend beyond the left end of the spindle on lathes.

  • Keep rags away from rotating machinery and only use rags on stopped machinery.

  • Do not let sawdust, scrap wood, cardboard, foam, paper accumulate and become a fire hazard. Unplug all electricals when not in use.

  • Students may not work alone in the shops. No students are permitted to work in the machine or welding shops after hours unless accompanied by a staff member.

  • Be aware of hazards associated with “stored energy devices”. Some examples are: capacitors, magnets, springs, shock absorbers, servo hydraulic systems, pneumatic systems, batteries and bottled gases.

  • The above procedures are for the benefit of the shop and laboratory users. This list is not all inclusive. Other safety issues as they are observed or discovered will result in additions to these guidelines. In the event that any person does not comply with the procedures, a member of the faculty or the department technician is authorized to eject the individual from the shop.

  • All accidents must be reported to an OEDK staff or faculty member. You MUST fill out an Incident Report within 24 hours of the incident.
The above are just a few safety guidelines.  For a full list please go to the OEDK Safety Guidelines page.

Contact us

Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen
Rice University

6100 Main Street MS 390 | Houston, Texas | 77005

Phone: 713.348.OEDK

Email: oedk@rice.edu

Lead Industry Partners