General Safety Precautions while Working in Machine Shop:

The following safety precautions or guidelines are generally adopted for every metal cutting or machining shop. They must be strictly followed for safety. Specific safety guidelines for some of the machine process like lathe, drilling, shaping, planning slotting, grinding, milling, and finishing operations are also described in the following sections.

1. One should use the correct tools and work holding devices recommended for the process.
2. One should hold the work piece and tool securely on the machine.
3. One should clamp the tool correctly. An overhanging tool may cause catastrophic failure of the tool, work piece or the machine tool.
4. One should not try to remove chips from the machine with your hands.
5. Never use compressed air from mouth. Use brush.
6. One should not touch a job-piece with bare hands while doing inspection or removing it from the machine. Use gloves always.
7. One should operate the machine at recommended operating conditions based on work material and tool material combination and other cutting conditions specified.
8. One should use recommended coolant depending upon work-tool material combination.
9. During machining ductile materials, use chip breakers and chip guards.
10. One should re-sharp the tools immediately when it starts producing rough surfaces on the job-piece or produces chatter.
11. One should not run the machines at speed higher than recommended. It may produce vibrations and chatter and damage job-piece, tool, or both.
12. Provide sufficient approach and over travel distances wherever necessary.
13. In case of power failures, switch off the machine and retrieve tool from the workpiece.
14. One should wear goggles to protect eyes from flying chips.
15. Machines are governed by the old clinch garbage input, garbage output. The skill of the operator is often the limiting factor for the machining operation.
16. Stop machine before attempting to clean, removing tool or workpiece.