On Sun, 14 Nov 2004 07:48:48 -0000, "SB"
wrote:
My CDT (woodwork) teacher told the class that we couldn't use the bandsaw
because you had to be over 18 and have a licence.
This isn't quite accurate on the details and the attribution, but it's
not all that far from the truth.
(Legally speaking) People under 18 are "young people". Under 16 are
"children". Most rules like this kick in at 16, not 18.
There is no licence for bandsaw use. The employer may have some
responsibility for ensuring that people are "competent" to use the
machine, but this isn't tied to a formal licence. As is general with
most (but not all) UK worshop safety legislation, it's the
responsibility of the workshop operator to judge what is "competent".
There's no test they have to apply beforehand, but if there is an
accident, then they have to justify their decisions in court.
Mind you, as we've seen with railway maintenance operators and the
student at Shoreham dock, a large company can get away with killing
workers quite carelessly, and there's no effective legal redress.
In contrast, the UK has quite good laws on machine safety and the
rules applied to the machine itself (this is easier to inspect than a
workforce). There's a legal requirement for certain sorts of guard,
and for the machines to not carry on spinning for a long time
afterwards.
There are plenty of bandsaws in education, being used by people under
16. If there weren't, Startrite wouldn't have such a good business in
selling vastly over-priced bandsaws with huge yellow guards on them
otherwise.
So really it's the school's rules in effect here. You _could_ use the
bandsaw, but only if the workshop operator feels that they can offer a
suitable level of supervision for the people involved. You might have
a large class there, and I'm sure you have a couple of idiots in it.
Your CDT teacher just can't say "Use the bandsaw" or there _will_ be
accidents.
If you look like you're not an idiot, and if the class isn't busy,
then most CDT teachers become far more flexible about what you can do
in the workshop. When I was at school, a few of us spent all our lunch
hours in the workshop and we used _everything_. It was only a dozen or
so of us though.
some idiots didn't "accidently" chop peoples fingers off.
A bandsaw is generally a pretty safe machine. It has a blade that
will injure fingers badly and allow you to remove them by pulling your
hand away, but even then you're looking at surgery rather than losing
the finger altogether. Actual amputations with bandsaws are pretty
rare. It's also easy with a bandsaw to see where the nasty bit it -
this is a small area and you can avoid it.
In contrast, jointers and planers have a reputation for not just
taking the finger, but helping themselves to the whole hand. Circular
saws will amputate a finger quicker than you can pull it away and they
also have the lovely risk of "kickback", where they can throw a piece
of timber across the workshop and hit someone else entirely with it.
And spindle moulders are worse.
I have kids (8 and upwards) in my workshop, and I let them use the
machines whilst supervised. The drill press or bandsaw are OK. The
table saw isn't, just because it's big and you need to have long arms
to be able to use it safely. The jointer is on the "dangerous" list,
but the planer is safe because you work that from the other end of the
board. The welding gear is safe to use too, so long as I've set it up
first.
--
Smert' spamionam
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