H&S is 90% Ballcocks

[Seadog]

Leaving the chuck key in is an easy thing to do

I'm 70 and can say confidently that I've never done it.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

I'm 70 and can say confidently that I've never done it.

Me either but I have forgotten to unlock the spindle backgear a few times.

 

[daleyd]

I'm 70 and can say confidently that I've never done it.

I'm very happy for you.

 

[Morrisman]

I once used a chuck key that had a spring loaded centre button. You physically couldn't leave it in the chuck, it simply pushed itself out and fell to the ground. Great idea.... but an absolute ball ache to use when trying to wind a chuck open or closed a fair way.....

 

[James1979]

I once used a chuck key that had a spring loaded centre button. You physically couldn't leave it in the chuck, it simply pushed itself out and fell to the ground. Great idea.... but an absolute ball ache to use when trying to wind a chuck open or closed a fair way.....

Problem is someone then sticks the end on a grinder to ‘adapt’ the sticky out bit

 

[winchman]

The problem with H&S is the poor interpretation of it by a few people, luckily the HSE are now starting to prosecute some of the fools who give poor advise.
Statistically we are getting a lot better but one of the difficult things now is peoples behavior.

 

[Morrisman]

When I worked offshore we had a reporting system to detail anything that could possibly be dangerous or could cost the company money. It had two 'matrixes' on the back, that had to be used to give a severity, likelihood, probability etc to the report. I can't remember the exact details but in all the years we had that system not a single person could tell me exactly how to use it. Most of us just wanged in random ticks and submitted the report.

Even the company shoreside HES guy came out for a visit and was asked to explain in simple logical terms how the matrixes worked. He couldn't, he just bumbled and stumbled his way to a non finite answer.

Not very long after that the report card changed, in several ways.....

 

[Arc Tourist]

I'm 70 and can say confidently that I've never done it.

Me either, but I've still got two years to catch up with you.

 

[tom2207]

Problem is someone then sticks the end on a grinder to ‘adapt’ the sticky out bit

Just when you make something Idiot Proof ...


along comes a better idiot ..

 

[gaz1]

Here is a simple fix for chuck key safety. This setup was on the drill presses and a similar one on the lathe start stop switches in my Jr. High School's metal shop. The student's couldn't start a machine without the chuck key being used. I think I posted this on the forum before ? Here's a quick sketch.
.View attachment 367943

easily beaten by a piece of metal or cane tapped up / tied up

 

[tom2207]

Arc Tourist said:
Here is a simple fix for chuck key safety. This setup was on the drill presses and a similar one on the lathe start stop switches in my Jr. High School's metal shop. The student's couldn't start a machine without the chuck key being used. I think I posted this on the forum before ? Here's a quick sketch.
.View attachment 367943

trouble is that the on switch thingy sticks out further than the off switch ,,,
thats never wise ,,, when your overalls sleeve is grabbed by a two inch drill bit and your swung against the drills pillar you want the bit that sicks out the furthest that your beating with your spare hand to be the stop button ,, ,not the start button ,,,,

 

[tom2207]

Health and Safety Tip




Never pick ''Harder '',,

as your
''Safe Word''

 

[Scalarocco]

I work for a machine tool manufacturer. The requirements of the the Machinery Directive with regards to machine safety are stringent and are becoming more so. The safety systems used on machines are supposed to be designed to stop humans being humans and trying to circumvent the very things put in place to keep you all in one piece. The method normally employed with lathe chucks and keys is to have a hinged drop over guard on the chuck with a switch on it so that the machine won't start with the guard up. If the key is in the guard won't drop down and allow the machine to start. In answer to the guy who's never left a chuck key in I can safely say that I have. As a 16 year old apprentice I had a DSG set up for screw cutting (so low rpm's) and left the key in. I even tried to stop the damn thing rotating as I saw it was going to tw@ the slideway but was unsuccessful... I learned something that day!

 

[Gritineye]

I've never left a key in a chuck, muscle memory is pretty well ingrained in my otherwise less than organised brain. But I still took a few minutes to make a tube with a contact switch, it only needs to be needed once to be worth the small effort.

 

[Seadog]

Me either but I have forgotten to unlock the spindle backgear a few times.

I do that all time
The vfd moans a bit and then turns the fan on and ups the current until the belt slips.

 

[Gritineye]

I do that all time
The vfd moans a bit and then turns the fan on and ups the current until the belt slips.

I find belt slip can often be my friend!

 

[optima21]

I've never left a chuck key in my lathe.......but I have managed to leave this mandrel handle on it (right hand side in the pic) and then turn the lathe on at 1000 rpm,

and thats pretty scary for me, so now if I use it, I now also switch the lathe off at the plug and remove the motor drive belt on the lathe so I cant accidentally turn the lathe on and have it try and walk across the bench.

 

[addjunkie]

Most h and s stuff has evolved due to learning outcomes from past events. Its the gradual evolving of common sense for those with non. Blanket rules are brought in to make it perscriptive to avoid the employee/ student etc having to make a decision about the way things should be done.

If you take it further in industry you gradually evolve towards the methodology pilots use on commercial flights, procedure and everything is double checked using a check list, not matter how many times they have done it. By doing this everyone does a task the same way too, so swapping team members between shifts for example shouldnt be an issue as in theory all folk do the task the same way.

Instead of moaning about it in a work enviroment folk doing the job should be encouraging each other to become involved so the methodology actually matches what they do, not what some office bod thinks they should do!

And I have left a chuck key in…once. But I did refit the chuck guard after that!

 

[redlig]

Sounds exactly the kind of tit @Parm likes taking down … absolutely no idea how to do his job

They live in a world full of numpties and are scared of their own shadow.
The joke is that I am sat here with a pack of ice on my foot after having a 4ft length of 50x50x 4mm fall on it . Strangely house slippers didn't actually save me.

 

[dobbslc]

I once used a chuck key that had a spring loaded centre button. You physically couldn't leave it in the chuck, it simply pushed itself out and fell to the ground. Great idea.... but an absolute ball ache to use when trying to wind a chuck open or closed a fair way.....

That's easy to sort, just put the key aside and hold the chuck in your hand then turn the machine on in the required direction to adjust the chuck. Simples