Health & safety

Health and safety

GENERAL HEALTH AND SAFETY;

• Be careful when working with sharp objects such as scalpels, knifes and scissors. Cut away from your hands when it comes to working with sharp materials, this will ensure you do not cause any injuries to yourself. 
• Keep classroom noise at minimal level so that any emergencies, alarms and information is heard.
• Do not run with objects, this could easily cause you and others around you harm. 

3D H&S;

• Behaviour must be acceptable when in working conditions, no running or unacceptable around.

• Any spillages need attending to and not to be left.

• Be careful when using the tools, be sensible with carving and cutting equipment.

• Understand the use of materials and the way they can be handled.

There are a few health and safety precautions when it comes to 3D. The main one within this style of art is dust. Inhalation of the dust caused by ceramics can be very dangerous activity if not performed properly.  In the long term if no actions are taken, it can damage your breathing, this means its important to take regular breaks.

• Silica dust exposure- Clay dust contains crystalline silica this is known as 'free silica' and poses a serious health risk. The dust particles cannot be seen by the naked eye so the person working with clay with little knowledge would not know they were at risk. The dust can also remain airborne for long periods of time in your working area allowing it to penetrate deep into the lungs during the working process. This exposure to the crystalline silica can lead to serious lung damage and ultimately the lung disease named silicosis.  To prevent exposure to the silica certain precautions should be taken, these include-
• Keep clay damp during use so that no dust particles form.
• Do not dry sweep when using clay floors must always be washed down with a wet cloth.
• Clean all surfaces with a damp cloth after working with clay.
• Any spillages should be cleaned during the slip casting before they dry out.
• Protective clothing should be worn when appropriate to ensure silica is not carried on clothing.

Using clay tools and equipment-

• Care should be taken using sharp clay tools to ensure the user or others are not harmed.
• All clay equipment should be cleaned after use.
• Use the tools to there ability, do not break or miss use the objects. 

TEXTILES:

Hand stitch Health and safety-

• keep hands way from the needle as its very easy to injure yourself when hand sewing.
• Put your needle where you can see it as its easy to misplace. 
• Concentrate at all times, behaviour must be acceptable and noise at reasonable level when working with sharp objects. 
• Keep your work area tidy.

Sewing machine health and safety-

• Never leave appliance unattended
• Always unplug appliance from electric outlet immediately after use. 
• Ensure that wires and loose leads are all hidden so no accidents are capable of happening.
• Do not use bent needles
• Keep fingers away from moving parts- remember to turn off machine when threading your cotton. 
• No earphones to be woe when operating the machine. 
• No liquids near the machine
• Ensure all air openings on appliance are clear from blockage. 

COLLAGRAPHY;

Health & Safety

• When shellacking the printing plates it should be done in a well ventilated room which involves glove and a breathing mask. 
• Printing process is important. When using the press make sure no loose objects, fingers or hair is in the way.
• When creating the plates and cutting your materials be sure that you're careful with any scalpels/scissors so that you can avoid any injuries. 

PHOTOGRAPHY;

Various health and safety procedures are expected to be taken when in the photography studio, this will avoid any harm that may come to con act with myself, people around me and expensive equipment.

• Try not to look at the lights for an unnecessary amount of time. 
• Ensure that all set up equipment such as stands and lights are put up correctly and securely. 
• Be careful with loose wires and leads that aren't hidden, this can cause an accident if not noticed.
• Be cautious about bulbs and large lights, these can get very hot so try not to lean or rest on them.
• Covers and protectors need to be removed before turning on the flash lamps. Fitting the flash should be prior to the lamps heating up. 
• No drinks around the equipment to avoid damaging them.

GRAPHICS H&S:

As with other classes their are various health and safety regulations that I need to bare in mind when working in the graphics rooms and using the Mac devices. This includes:

• - Making sure all my bags are safely placed under the desks. If even a part of my bag is hanging out I run the risk of tripping on it or having someone else trip on it.
• - Making sure that my chair is safe and that the back support is positioned correctly to avoid hurting my back or neck. I must also make sure the chair is set to a height where my feet comfortably touch the floor.
• - Having the keyboard that I am using at a comfortable distance from me so I don’t have to overreach to use it. There should be no documents placed between me and the keyboard.
• - Adjusting computer screen to a height where it’s just below eye level. Having the screen to high up will cause unnecessary neck strain. I must also remind myself to take some breaks (5-10 minutes) during long periods of time spent looking at the screen to avoid eye strain or headaches.
• - Having the correct visual settings on the screen. If I find that I’m getting eye strain from looking at the screen it might mean that I need to turn down the brightness or one of the other settings on the screen. Equally if the screen is too dark I should set it to a brightness setting that is more comfortable to look at.
• - Making sure that no wires trail from my computer onto the floor. If I or someone else trip on them it could cause injury as well as damage to expensive hardware.
• - Not eating or drinking anything at the computers to avoid making a mess of the keyboards and work station around the keyboard. Drinking in the graphics rooms should be done sat away from the computer to avoid spilling.

BATIK H&S:

• Batik involves working with extremely hot wax, this means it should only be used by the appropriate age group.
• This technique involves melting wax, which means working with an electrical hot pot, you need tt enable it maintains the wax at the correct temperature, so that you avoid any overheating which will risk the cause of a fire.
• Never use water to treat a wax fire, its the same as a grease fire. Use a fire extinguisher or suffocate the fire with baking soda or table salt.
• Inhaling smoke from overheated wax can cause lung damage.
• Don't have loose wires hanging around as this can cause tripping and spillages, this can be dangerous due to hot wax.
• Don't have noise level too loud in case of any emergency.