Section 2.1 General Safety 23
Section 2.1 Section 2.1
General Safety
Objectives
After studying this section, you will be able to:
• Identify safety color codes.
• Name examples of personal protective
equipment.
• Describe how to lift heavy objects safely.
• Follow all general safety rules while
working in the woodshop.
Technical Terms
hearing protectors
National Institute
for Occupational
Safety and Health
(NIOSH)
noise reduction rating
(NRR)
Occupational
Safety and Health
Administration
(OSHA)
personal protective
equipment (PPE)
Reading Prep
Before reading the section, skim the
photos and their captions. As you read,
determine how these concepts contribute
to the ideas presented in the text.
Safety in the woodshop is mostly a mat-
ter of using common sense when working
with machines, tools, and materials. Machine
guards and other safety devices are helpful,
but they cannot do your thinking and plan-
ning for you. Know and follow safety rules at
all times, Figure 2-1. Keep your mind on what
you are doing. Be considerate of other people’s
safety as well as your own. Safe work habits
acquired now will be useful in this course and
in the years to come.
Schools and classrooms are subject to a num-
ber of federal, state, and local rules regarding
safety. The Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) is a federal agency that
Figure 2-1. Pay close att ention as your instructor
demonstrates the safe and correct way to use
tools and machines.
sets and enforces standards for workplace safety.
Since schools are workplaces for instructors and
administrators, OSHA regulations apply to them.
Safety Color Coding
As you look around the woodshop, you may
notice signs, equipment, or machine parts in var-
ious colors. Each color has a particular meaning,
so the colors are a form of code. The following
colors are most often used to identify hazards
and safety equipment in the woodshop.
• Red is used for fi re protection equipment,
such as fi re extinguishers, and for safety
cans. Red also means stop. Emergency stop
buttons, bars, or switches on machinery are
painted red.
• Yellow means caution and is used to alert
workers to physical hazards, such as places
where they might trip.
• Orange is used for warning. Moving parts
of equipment, such as belts or pulleys, may
be painted orange.
• Green is used for fi rst aid equipment and
for other safety equipment (except fi re
extinguishers).
• Blue is used for information. Equipment
that needs repair or is being repaired may
have a blue tag on it.
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