Metalworking Basics: The 8 Steps Every Beginner Should Follow

Any job possesses a degree of difficulty and a certain level of risk to the safety and health of the workers. In both metalworking and woodworking, people are exposed to physical hazards. In both cases, the physical hazards require the need for workers to wear protective clothing such as blade guards and hearing protection. However, there are also differences in health hazards in these two areas of work. According to United States Department of Labor (n.d), in metalwork, operations such as welding emit radiations that damage the eyes, therefore the need for wearing of welding hoods and other eye protection gear. In woodwork, eye protection gear guards against wood dust and flying chips, which causes eye irritation and injury. Another difference is that in metal work, there is exposure to metal fumes and ultraviolet radiation, which is not experienced in woodwork. To guard against this, workers wear specialized garments. Also, metalworkers are exposed to metalworking fluids during cutting, drilling, and boring processes, which are harmful if inhaled or comes to contact with skin. In woodwork, there is no exposure to such fluids. Harm from these fluids is avoided by the provision of proper ventilation and local exhaust for machines. Workers should also wear protective clothing to prevent skin irritation. 

Point of operation guarding techniques is required for metalworking tools such as press brake, which is used for bending sheet and plate material. The first option for guarding is two-handed control devices where the operator presses two buttons at once to actuate the machine. Secondly, there is the use of a pullback device which pulls back the operator’s hand from the pinch point, during every stroke. For presence sensing, use of optoelectronic sensing devices to guard behind the brake and use of light curtains or laser-based systems to guard the front of the brake are other options. As an operator, I would prefer the use of pullback devices because they are secured around the operator’s hands and allow operator freedom of movement for loading and unloading parts without interference. 

References 

United States Department of Labor . Occupational safety and health administration . (n.d).Retrieved from: https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/machineguarding/presses/press_brake.html