A document offering advice on using metal lathes in a safe way has been released by WorkSafe.
Called ‘Safe use of metal turning lathes’, the document provides practical advice to employers about controlling hazards while using metal turning lathes.
The most common causes of death and injury from metal lathes include: entanglement of clothing in moving parts, such as drive gears, chucks, lead and feed screws, and the workpiece; being hit by loose objects on the lathe, such as chuck keys, tools or swarf; entanglement from inappropriate tooling and polishing techniques; and being struck by a workpiece that has not been adequately secured in the lathe or is oversized.
According to WorkSafe, employers must provide a safe work environment for workers by implementing adequate controls to all identified hazards.
The report consists of a table that lists and shows examples of the main hazards while using a metal turning lathe.
It also includes the possible consequence (eg entanglement) of the hazard and provides a list of recommended controls.
Before implementing controls, employers should consider what the lathe is used for and if the control is appropriate for their workplace (eg is the lathe being used for process manufacturing or jobbing tasks?), WorkSafe says.
The document can be found on the WorkSafe website.