Ceramics Studio/woodshop Safety

[HLeyden5]

I will soon be the new 3D studio technician at a university in charge of shop safety. The 3D studio is one LARGE work area that is a combination ceramics, wood, and metal working area. They do everything from turning ceramic bowls on a wheel to building wooden structures to mig welding. I am seriously questioning the safety of this setup. They mix the clay in the same area that welding and sandblasting is going on. There is lots of ceramic dust that can migrate into the wood area and vice versa (there's really no barrier between the two). Students use grinding wheels that are used by metal workers to sand the sharp edges from their ceramics, sending debris into the air. This all seems like a safety nightmare. Wood shavings, metal filings, ceramic dust, chips from glazes all in the same area.

 

What can I do to address these glaring safety issues? Apparently there is a handful of adjunct faculty teaching ceramics that the sculpture professor has been butting heads with about these safety issues, but the adjuncts keep writing to the higher ups making a stink and ensuring that the same unsafe practices keep on occurring. Now this is all on me. How can I make the area safer (can you all point to books or websites addressing safety) and get the people at the top to take these safety concerns seriously?

 

Anyone else with any sort of similar experiences?

[Mark C.]

As far as the airborne stuff a few large air filters mounted from the ceiling will take care of the fine stuff-These are a bit overpriced and you can modify wood working ones with finer microns filters (heapa filters). But you can see the idea

https://www.baileypottery.com/Store/Studio-Safety-Air-Cleaners

 

Our local collage has a few of these on the ceiling 

You can get a few downdraft tables that exact  and vent to the outside to carry fumes from wielding or grinding and mount that stuff next to them.

The wood working stuff should have a large vacuum bag system with dust collection at each point of use (tool)Thats very common and is any woodworking catalog.

As far as the admin stuff well that all comes with your profession and thats a fine line. They named a movie about that -the good the bad and ugly

[Guest JBaymore]

Welcome to the forums.

 

You've got a bit of a "tiger by the tail" there.  You have some potential professional liability if you know about the hazards and don't do something about them.... but if you "blow the whistle" it sounds like you'll be on the bad side of the faculty.  Not good.  And if you actually DO blow the whistle loudly so it can't be avoided to be heard in the ivory tower..... the admin folks will possibly try to fire you...... because it is expensive to fix this kind of stuff at an institutional level.

 

To whom do you answer in your position?  If it is the faculty....... you obviously have a real problem.  They'll make your life miserable.  Personally ..... I'd be looking for a different job from the sounds of this.

 

Sounds like there are likely OSHA violations all over the place.  You might have issues of the welding flare in the same space as people not working with that stuff and not wearing eye protection.  Light shields to stop that have to be in place.  Are all the guards on the power equipment?  Who does training for students and staff on the equipment?  How is that documented?

 

Has OSHA "Right to Know" training been done?  How about respirator fit training and medical monitoring? Are MSDS (now called SDS) books for all the materials used in the studios posted in appropriate accessible stations?  Are there eye wash stations where there need to be?  Safety showers near dangerous fire-y stuff?  How about stuff like fire blankets in hot working areas?  Fire extinguishers?  Is there local pickup ventilation on stuff like saws and grinding wheels?  Are all the corridors and walkways clear to the required distances?

 

Note that the safety issues that organizations like OSHA enforce do NOT apply to students.  Yeah... crazy, I know.  The rules apply to the people employed in the college.  Including you.  And you'll be in those spaces a lot of hours... so you are at risk from the mess more than the students. 

 

The OSHA and National Fire Protection Association websites are good resources.  And your head of the Facilities Department (or Buidings and Grounds) can possibly be your friend in all this.  Unless he/she is 'under the gun' also on this stuff.

 

Background ........ I used to be the H+S officer for our college, and chaired the H+S Committee for 9 years.  Been there, done that, bought the T-shirts.  And spent a lot of the college's money.

 

If they are putting that responsibility ON you specifically... then you have no choice but to address it.  Good luck.

 

best,

 

.......................john

[ChenowethArts]

If your program is accredited, you might find support from the accreditation body.  We are part of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and part of their accrediting process (and maintaining accreditation) is an inspection of facilities.  A report from the visiting team a couple of years ago identified some similar problems as those you described (but not as extreme).  They recommended an air quality test by an independent agency...that report provided the additional push to begin addressing air quality, filtering, and ventilation issues.  That approach might help you out of the "me" vs. "them" scenario and give you concrete facts to present...and then asking everyone for solutions.

 

Our issues have not been fully addressed but we have isolated dust zones (clay & glaze mixing, dry storage, etc.) from studio spaces.  New mechanical systems are in the design-build stage and yes, they are pricey.  On the flip side, a health issue by one student and/or a law suit are not worth the risk by allowing a problem to persist unaddressed.

 

Good luck!,

-Paul

[Guest JBaymore]

References for you.....................

 

Industrial Ventilation: A manual of recommended Practice     A.S.H.R.A.E.  http://www.ishn.com/articles/95806-industrial-ventilation-a-manual-of-recommended-practice-for-design-28th-edition-now-with-metric-values-released-by-acgih-signature-publications-series

 

Artist Beware    Dr. Michael McCann   https://www.amazon.com/Artist-Beware-Updated-Revised-Craftsperson/dp/1592285929

 

Keeping Claywork Safe and Legal    Mononna Rossol   NCECA Publications   https://www.amazon.com/Keeping-clay-work-safe-legal/dp/B0006QJ6G2

 

Art, Craft, and Theater Safety (ACTS)    Mononna Rossol     http://www.artscraftstheatersafety.org/

 

 

And as Paul mentioned above, NASAD and other accrediting bodies look at this stuff.  If you are an accredited institution you almost for sure have a Health and Safety Committee.  Those folks are going to be big help with this stuff.

 

We are also NASAD accredited, and just went thru a recent re-upping review... and got serious flying colors on our program overall.....including ceramics.  I can tell you that for ceramics we have a separate kiln room with extensive local pickup and scavenge ventilation in the kiln room with automatic louvered makeup air, lots of sensored systems in there that can be monitored online, CO sensor with automatic kiln "kill" function, separate materials storage room, separate glaze mixing room, slot hoods for glaze mixing stations, all glaze and clay materials are stored in covered bins, all cleaning is done wet and regularly, MSDS stations are present next to all studios, eyewash stations, fire blankets and the like, first aid kits, good air turnover rate in the studios, students are given heavy H+S training as a part of the technical curriculum, all class syllabi have H+S statements specific to the department, blah, blah, blah...........can't remember all that I might include here.

 

best,

 

.....................john