Roy Linn
Montana State University, Montguide
Time,
the proper tools and know-how are essential for safe servicing
of tractors and farm equipment.
The
safe equipment operator also maintains a hazard-free shop,
uses service tools and equipment safely and guards against
potential hazards. An efficient, hazard-free shop results
from careful planning. Potential hazards can be recognized
and eliminated or kept to a minimum when a shop is planned.
To determine
size and arrangement of a shop, make a list of jobs and activities
to be done in the shop and include the size of equipment you
will work on in the facility.
Locate
the shop in a place accessible for farm service work and convenient
for storing spare parts, tools and supplies. Provide adequate
drainage to keep the shop floor dry at all times. Allow adequate
space around the building and include a service door large enough
for equipment to be maneuvered easily and safely. Provide a
concrete apron outside for cleaning equipment and for welding
that gives a solid foundation for hydraulic jacks and support
stands.
Lighting
is extremely important. Provide enough windows, skylights or
overhead lights to insure good general lighting. Place additional
lights over benches, stationary power tools and main work areas.
Before
selecting and installing heat units for work in cold weather,
obtain the services of a heat specialist. His experience will
help you obtain the most economical source of heat and insure
a safe installation. If building a new structure, you may consider
building solar collectors in the roof or walls and, perhaps,
storing heat from solar energy. Consider retrofit collectors
when adapting a machine shed or other building for a shop. During
the winter months solar energy can be collected about 70 percent
of the time.
Include
enough doors and windows to vent smoke, fumes and vapors. Ideally,
the total window area should equal about 25 percent of the floor
area. During cold weather, use flexible metal tubing or pipe
to carry engine exhaust fumes outside. Exhaust fans can be used
to clear smoke and vapors from welding, cleaning and painting
areas. Hoods equipped with exhaust fans usually are the most
efficient.
The
wiring system should meet five requirements:
- Adequate
capacity to handle lighting, heating and power tool requirements
- Sufficient
number of conveniently located outlets
- Three-wire
grounding system for 120-volt circuits
- A
240-volt circuit for welding and motors of more than one-half
horsepower
- Provisions
for expansion to meet future needs
A shop
planned to be as hazard-free as possible should be equipped
to handle emergency situations such as fire and personal injury.
To prevent personal injuries, keep all tools and service equipment
in good condition. Use personal protective equipment, such
as goggles, face shields and gloves. Keep guards and other
safety devices on power tools in place and functioning. Have
a firstaid kit handy.
Fire
extinguishers should be checked annually. Replenish if the seal
has been broken or if partially used. The dry chemical in a
partially used extinguisher will cause the gas to leak away.
If needed later, the fire extinguisher probably would not have
pressure.
Shop
fires can be any, or all, of three fire classes: Class A,
ordinary combustibles; Class B, combustible liquids; and Class
C, fires in live electrical equipment. To eliminate the need
for extinguishers for all three classes, install at least
one 20-pound ABC Class extinguisher in a convenient location,
and possibly more, depending on the size of the shop.
Don't
take the use of handtools and service for granted. You're more
likely to be injured when servicing equipment than when operating
it. Power tools can inflict sudden, severe injury. Even small
handtools can cause serious damage.
To follow
all the rules necessary to insure farmshop safety requires
more information than can be included in this MontGuide. Several
publications on handtool and power tool safety arc available
from bookstores and libraries that describe the proper use
and care of handtools. Study them and follow their recommendations.
The
following principles for personal safety relate to handtools
that are used most frequently for service work:
Chisels
and Punches. Wear eye protection when hammering on chisels
and punches or on metal objects. The hardened face of a hammer,
or the end of a tool, may chip or shatter to send metal fragments
living. Grind off the "mushroomed" heads. Keep a smooth bevel
on the heads of all punches and chisels. Hold the tool steadily
but loosely. The best place to hold it is just below the head.
If you miss and strike your hand, it is much less likely to
be caught between the hammer and the object being worked on.
Files.
A file without a handle can be extremely dangerous. Keep a
handle on every file to prevent the tang from piercing the
palm or wrist if the file should slip or catch.
Wrenches.
Wrenches are the cause of many cut and skinned knuckles. When
possible, use the open palm of your hand to push on the wrench.
When this is not possible, pull the wrench toward you. This
may prevent the wrench from slipping to cut or skin your knuckles.
Make sure that the wrench is the proper size for the bolt
or nut. When using adjustable "wrenches, keep the open jaw
of the adjustable wrench facing toward you. This forces the
movable jaw onto the nut to reduce its tendency to slip. It
also prevents damage to the wrench.
Hammers.
Keep your hammers in good repair. Check the fit and condition
of the handles. Keep handles tightly, wedged into the heads
to prevent injury to yourself and others nearby. Replace cracked
or splintered handles. Select the right size for the job,
A light hammer bounces off the work. One that's too heavy
is hard to control.
Power
Tools. Use power tools to get a job done quickly. But,
take the necessary precautions to get it done safely. Read
the power tool manual and observe all the precautions. Understand
the equipment before you attempt to use it. Keep guards and
shields in place. Keep the work area clean. Give the job your
full attention. Let each tool work at its own speed without
forcing it. Wear eye protection when recommended. Before making
adjustments or changing bits or cutters, disconnect the power
cord to avoid accidentally touching the switch and possible
injury when the tool starts. Use power tools only, for their
intended functions.
Electric
Shock. There are three ways to prevent electric shock.
Use three-conductor, grounding-type circuits and tools equipped
with double insulation. Install ground-fault interrupters.
Three-conductor,
ground-type circuits are of 120-volt circuits that use three
conductors. The third one, called a grounding conductor, is
connected to the grounded neutral in the service entrance
box. In the event of a short circuit, this equipment will
shunt the shorted electrical current to the ground.
The
two-wire, 120-volt circuits do not provide shock protection
from defective or inadequate insulation. Therefore, if leakage
from an insulated conductor occurs, the grounding conductor
is necessary to carry current directly and safely to ground.
Tools
equipped with double insulation can be safely used on two-conductor
circuits. These tools can bc identified by, the words "double
insulation" marked permanently on the tool housing or nameplate.
Because many shops are not equipped with three-conductor grounding
circuits, manufacturers of double-insulated tools equip their
tools with two layers of insulation. If one layer becomes
defective, the second layer provides the necessary protection
from shock.
A ground-fault
interrupter is a device that compares the amount of current
flowing to a power tool through the ungrounded conductor with
the amount returning to the grounded neutral. If the ground
fault interrupter senses a difference as low as .005 amperes,
the ground fault interrupter snaps off the current by opening
the circuit to protect the operator from shock.
Always
use a portable ground-fault interrupter when using power tools
that are not insulated or if your circuits are not of the
three-wire grounding type.
Grinders.
There are three common hazards associated with grinders: if
a grinding wheel shatters at high speed, pieces could fly
into your face; if your hands touch the wheel you will lose
skin and flesh; if the work piece gets very hot, your fingers
could be burned. To reduce these hazards, check for a defective
wheel before installing a new one. Support the grinding wheel
on your finger in an arbor hole and tap it gently with a light
metal object, A clear ring indicates a sound wheel. No ring
indicates a defective wheel and it should not be used. Use
compression washers and phalanges on each side of the wheel.
Make sure the hole in the wheel is of the same size as the
arbor of the grinder.
Grinding
wheels are designed for certain speeds. Make sure that when
you buy a grinder wheel that it will match the speed of your
grinding. When starting a grinder, stand to one side of the
wheel and turn on the switch. Let it run for a minute before
you do any grinding. Then grind gradually with a light pressure
until the wheel warms up. Cold can cause a wheel to shatter.
Grind
only on the face-not on the sides-of the wheel. Side pressure
may break a wheel that is not specifically designed for side-pressure
grinding.
Portable
Grinders. Portable grinders and brushes are difficult
to handle because of their size and weight. Extra care is
needed to avoid injury and to protect the grinding wheel and
brushes from damage. When using a portable grinder, hold it
firmly with both hands. When finished, make sure that the
grinder has completely stopped turning before you lay it down.
Storage.
Develop a system of racks, bins and tool panels to make it
easy to find the right tool or materials quickly. Don't store
tools, supplies or spare parts in the aisle or on the floor
where they become tripping hazards. Keep other flammable materials
away from heaters and welding areas to prevent fire. Grease,
oil, paint and solvents should be stored in a closed metal
container, preferably in metal cabinets. Gasoline or other
fuels should never be stored inside a shop. Supplies and equipment
should be stored in an area designed specifically for them.
Disclaimer
and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not represent
NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears by permission
of the author and/or copyright holder. More
NASD Review: 04/2002
This document
is
MT
8367
,
a series of the Montana State University Extension Service.
Publication date: October 1983.
Roy
Linn, Energy Specialist. Montana State University Extension
Service, Bozeman, Montana 59717.
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