Stained Glass Workshop Safety Pointers
Posted by Owen Jones in Uncategorized, tags: art, careers, entrepreneurs, health, hobbies, home, home improvement, management, other, safety, small business, stained glass, Uncategorized, workSafety in the workplace is a big subject, but when one is working with glass, it becomes a very big topic. The crafts person or artisan who works with stained glass has particular dangers to be conscious of. As we all know, glass can be sharp, and if you cut glass the dust is very dangerous and old stained glass can contain dangerous chemicals for pigmentation and lead to hold the pieces together.
The first bit of advice is never to take young children to a stained glass workplace. This is because of the risk of them cutting themselves on broken glass and inhaling the powder of dangerous chemicals. So, if the children are involved with choosing a design, take the catalogue to them in the car, do not take them to the workshop.
If you need to carry a sheet of stained glass to the car for self-installation, wear gloves that have rubberized surfaces so that you can obtain a decent grip without having to grip the sheet of glass tight. Hold the sheet of glass by the side edges if you possibly can. If you hold it top and bottom ant it breaks, the arm at the bottom may be hit by falling, jagged glass.
If you are working with stained glass at home as a hobby, make certain that your environment is spotless. It is usually easier to score and break glass on a soft surface like a bed sheet. A blanket is too thick and gives too much, which may cause the glass to break in a manner that is unwanted.
Whilst cutting glass, always wear a mask and safety spectacles. or even safety goggles for increased protection. This is especially true if you would like to cut the glass with an angle grinder. The glass dust created by a grinder is very perilous.
Whilst you are soldering the lead strips to hold the pieces of stained glass in position, make sure that you follow safety procedures with the soldering iron. Put it into a holder, so that when you go for the soldering iron, you can only grab it by the cool end with no opportunity of you being able to grasp it by the hot end.
Solder fumes are not healthy for you, so make sure that your workshop is well ventilated with extractor fans. Wear gloves too so that your skin does not suffer from repeated contact with poisonous lead. If you have a cut or a wound, put a plaster on it so that the lead does not get into you too easily.
If you do not have a workplace or even a garden shed, do not be tempted to work in your home, because the fumes and the glass powder will build up and you will never actually get rid of them. The dust and fumes are significant pollutants and will build up in fabrics, so if you have curtains in your workshop, wash them regularly and vacuum everywhere at least one time a week.
Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a number of subjects, but is now involved with RX Safety Glasses. If you would like to know more, go to our site at Safety Glasses Bifocal
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