Lesson 2.1: Shop Safety, Protective Equipment, and Working Rules
Technical Context
FTC teams use drills, saws, soldering irons, and other tools that can cause serious injuries. Common risks include flying metal chips, a workpiece caught by a drill bit, and sharp edges on newly cut stock.
Follow the controls below every time, including during short jobs and quick adjustments.
Eye Protection
Safety glasses, every time a tool is running, for everyone in the area and not only the person operating.
Aluminum chips leave a drill press at speed and travel much further than students expect. A person standing six feet away watching is inside the range. Prescription glasses are not safety glasses: they have no side protection and the lenses are not rated for impact. Wear over-glasses or rated prescription safety glasses.
There is no version of this rule that has exceptions for short cuts, quick drilling, or "I was just watching."
Loose Things
Anything that can be caught by a rotating tool must be secured before the tool starts.
| Hazard | What to do |
|---|---|
| Long hair | Tied back, fully, above the shoulders |
| Sleeves and hoodie strings | Rolled up or removed |
| Jewelry, rings, watches | Removed |
| Gloves near rotating tools | Removed, always |
| Lanyards and badges | Removed |
Gloves deserve emphasis because the instinct is wrong. Gloves protect against sharp edges when you are handling stock, which is good. Near a drill press, lathe, or any rotating spindle they are dangerous, because a glove that catches pulls your hand in where bare skin would have torn free.
Securing the Work
Never hold a workpiece by hand while drilling it. A drill bit can grab as it breaks through the far side and spin the part with enough force to cut or crush a hand. Clamp the work before starting the drill.
Clamp the work to the table or hold it in a vise. Every time, including for a single small hole in a small bracket. Especially then: small parts spin fastest.
Drilling polycarbonate or thin aluminum sheet is when grabbing is most violent, because the bit breaks through suddenly with the full flute engaged. Clamp it, back it with a sacrificial piece of wood, and use a slower feed as you approach breakthrough.
Tool-Specific Rules
Drill press. Clamp the work. Set the speed for the material and bit size, slower for larger bits. Remove the chuck key before starting, every time, without exception.
Bandsaw. Keep fingers outside the path of the blade, using a push stick for narrow cuts. Let the blade reach speed before feeding. Do not reach around the blade to retrieve a cut piece while it is moving.
Hand drill. Two hands on the tool, work clamped. A hand drill that grabs will twist your wrist hard.
Deburring and edges. A freshly cut aluminum edge is sharp enough to cut deeply. Deburr before handling, and use gloves for handling stock, then remove them before returning to a rotating tool.
Soldering iron. It looks the same hot and cold. Return it to the stand every time you set it down, and never hand it to someone tip first.
Battery and electrical. A shorted FTC battery delivers enough current to melt a wrench and cause serious burns. Remove metal jewelry, keep tools away from exposed terminals, and disconnect the battery before working on wiring.
The Rules That Are Not About Tools
Nobody works alone. At minimum two people in the shop while any powered tool is in use.
Know where things are. First aid kit, fire extinguisher, and the shutoff for shop power. Everyone, before their first session, not after an incident.
Stop when tired. Fatigue makes it harder to notice poor clamping, a wrong setup, or a hand near the cutting path. Leave the last part for the next session if you cannot complete the normal checks.
Ask before using an unfamiliar tool. There is no cost to asking and a large cost to guessing.
- Your school or venue safety rules take precedence over anything here
- FIRST publishes safety expectations for teams and events each season: FIRST Tech Challenge Game and Season Info
Fill-in-the-Blank Practice
- Gloves should be removed before operating any tool with a
__________spindle, because a caught glove pulls the hand in. - A workpiece being drilled must always be
__________rather than held by hand. - Prescription glasses do not count as eye protection because they lack side protection and are not rated for
__________.
Show answers
- rotating
- clamped (secured in a vise or to the table)
- impact
Exercise
Walk your build space and locate the first aid kit, the fire extinguisher, and the power shutoff. Then check every drill press in the space for a chuck key left in the chuck. Write what you found in the notebook.
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