Shops Being Shut Down???

[AndrewUofL]

Anybody seen this? We (louisville) just got our shop shut down for the time being. http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/04/...ent.death/index.html (http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/04/13/yale.student.death/index.html)

[AndrewUofL]

Anybody seen this? We (louisville) just got our shop shut down for the time being. http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/04/...ent.death/index.html (http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/04/13/yale.student.death/index.html)

[Mike Cook]

I saw this a few days ago before any details were released. The first thing that came to mind was hair getting caught in the lathe. Seems like a horrible way to go.

I was just talking to some alumni over the weekend about this same issue. The guy used to have a pretty long beard but he cut it. He said he was machining something on the lathe and realized his beard was getting a little bit too close for comfort. So yeah, this stuff can happen. I think this is a reminder of how dangerous a lathe can be especially when you don't have the right training.

Be careful out there..

[thewoundedsoldier]

As a senior shop tech here at SJSU, I plan to print this out and post it next to every lathe we have.

I think that even the best trained machinists get in a rush sometimes, and a constant reminder of the dangers never hurts.

For the schools that are having their shops shut down: I would recommend being proactive. Write a letter to whoever is bureaucratically in charge of your shop explaining what steps you take to ensure safety. Highlight how your upperclassmen mentor and teach your freshmen and sophomores in shop safety, if such is the case. Talk about your use of safety glasses etc. And always, ALWAYS require two people in the shop for ANY machine to be used.

[jd74914]

I agree.

Most important is having 2+ people in the shop at all times.

[StephenP.]

Yupp...it's definitely paramount to have 2+ people, but another big one is being sure to keep the shop clean.

[Drew Price]

Long sleeves are very dangerous too.

If someone comes in wearing a hooded sweatshirt with the Uni name, congratulate them for their pride, then don't let them near any machines until they take it off. Check out the scene in the middle of the film 'The Machinist' if you don't believe me.

Same with rings, wristwatches, bracelets, open toed shoes (had a girl 2-3 years ago drop a freshly cut piece of sheet metal on her foot, made a big mess of the floor around the shear... ).

I wear my wedding ring around my neck when I'm at work, but it's on a very thin chain that if it got caught in something moving it would break the chain rather than pull me in.


I know we all take pride in how many energy drinks we take, but you have to know when you're at your limit to work safely on sleep deprivation in a stressful environment.

An absolutely terrible thing that's happened at Yale, please everyone stay safe.

[Andy K]

We just got the heads up regarding this from an alumni who's working as a shop tech in main machine shop, as the memo had already been forwarded through the Dean's office, etc. We'll see how this develops, but I really don't want to have to fight for machine access. Thankfully we have all machines locked (min. 2 in the shop with tools being used) and a few guys who finished tech schools who can supervise/teach newer members. If it really comes down to it, I will gladly install additional safety measures to keep us operating.

Stay safe guys!

[Ben K]

Luckily, our shop machinists took proactive steps and contacted admin. They explained training, how we make sure people don't get hurt, etc. Shouldn't be too big of a deal for us....maybe some revised policies but that's about it.

Ben

[CB23]

As a woodworker of many decades, this hits home for me. Speaking with and meeting many long-time professional woodworkers, you see a shocking number missing a finger.

The trick, for me, is to be kind of afraid of the machines that can hurt you. Even the quiet easy ones, like the jointer, I give great respect to. Working alone, in my basement shop, I even have several shoelaces dangling from the ceiling, in case I. . . um. . . make a wrong cut (tourniquet). And a phone in the shop.

I learned in high school shop class, long before most of you were born, to roll up long sleeves, take off your tie if you're wearing one, and tie long hair back if using ANY power machines.

I tell folks that most accidents occur on the last cut of the day. Not trying to be funny. When you just need to do this one more thing then you're done, you often want to rush, or think "it's just an easy cut." I always stop, take a slow, deep breath, and look around before I make that last cut. My younger brother nearly lost his thumb with a chop saw last year, doing the last cut he planned to do that day.

Chris
All my fingers still on

[Mike Cook]

I took everyones advice and pro actively sent out an email to our team and CC'd our department about this accident and a reminder of safety practices. The department really appreciated it, and actually forwarded it to the rest of the mechanical engineering student body. I would advise the rest of you to do the same. I think only good can come from it.

Mike

[AndrewUofL]

We got our shop opened today but we have a ton of constraints to follow. Unfortunately I agree with all of the additions but I dont like them. We have had basically full open access to our shop at all hours for a long time now and thankfully have not had any serious accidents. We basically now are going to have a lot more paperwork in the future so the school isnt liable for what we do and there is going to be a more formal training program in place. However, as of right now we have very limited use of the machines until after competition at the very earliest.

Just curious, I know there have been some threads about this before but how much access do you have to your shop? Im mostly interested in what hours is your shop open. What kind of paperwork/wavers do you have to sign? I only ask because I know we will be dealing with this in the future.

[Xeilos]

I have followed Mike Cook's direction and forwarded this along to my entire team as well. Also have cc'd our department hoping that they would forward the message along to as many people as they could, so that everyone can learn from this situation.

I hope Louisville will still be able to compete even with the restrictions?

I hope our team will learn from this as well, though it honestly will not really have an effect until after June 1st. http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_confused.gif

I would like to extend my condolences and respect to the family and friends of this young lady.

[RyMan]

We are in the clear for now. The leaders of formula and baja met with some faculty members today to discuss safety. It was to reiterate the rules and safety procedures of the shop and to also make sure we payed attention to detail. It didn't derail us very much and we will certainly be in Michigan.

Is there anything that the community at large can do to assist you guys in finishing your car in time for Michigan? Or is the car completely off limits?

[thewoundedsoldier]

At SJSU we have 24/7 access, with moderate paperwork. There are "shop techs" who are paid by the department to ensure both the safety of the students and the maintenance of the machines. We have been very blessed to be able to basically run our own show, because the shop techs have gone through formal training and have been entrusted with the liability of the shop. This set-up takes the heat off the department while still leaving the teams with the flexibility they need to function.

Don't be too upset about having a formal training program pushed upon you! This could be a blessing in disguise if you can maneuver and leverage the situation to your benefit. This would be the time for your leaders to shine--be as proactive as possible and your department will notice.

Side question: in the past, we have tinkered with the idea of making people take a short written test before being "certified" to use a given machine. Any schools out there that do this?

[Dash]

Team leaders/ peoples of importance have unrestricted 24/7 access to what we call our "small shop". It has a mill, a lathe, our jig table, and then all our small tools. They have always mandated that two people be in the shop at all times to use any power tool ( even a dremel ). People generally have to prove their ability to use equipment before they have free range on it as well. The big shop where the break, shear, bandsaw, and other stuff is only open from 8-5 during the week. Luckily we have only had two injuries that drew blood in the three years I've been here. One was when a guy that is a grad student was using our mill for research purposes ( we have to share our stuff with other grad students that aren't in FSAE ). He caught his hand in the mill cause he was trying to brush an endmill while it was turning. Luckily it didn't rip his hand off, just a little meat off his finger. The other was a guy doing electrical work. Cut his hand open pretty good with razor blade.

I feel terrible that this accident happened, and my heart goes out to her family and friends.

[MegaDeath]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by thewoundedsoldier:
Side question: in the past, we have tinkered with the idea of making people take a short written test before being "certified" to use a given machine. Any schools out there that do this? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I like that idea. I also wish our team leaders had the authority to kick people from other teams out for safety infractions.

[Ben K]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by MegaDeath:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by thewoundedsoldier:
Side question: in the past, we have tinkered with the idea of making people take a short written test before being "certified" to use a given machine. Any schools out there that do this? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I like that idea. I also wish our team leaders had the authority to kick people from other teams out for safety infractions. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

If I could get a dollar for all the times I've seen other groups doing horrible things on machines, I'd be a rich man.

Same goes for dirty looks for telling them they are being dangerous to themselves/others.