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Safety

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Shop-floor safety. Everyone reads this, even if you never touch a machine — visitors, contractors, and office staff passing through included. It applies to everyone working in or entering the shop floor at the Alpha Facility (175 New Boston St, Suite A, Woburn, MA). Safety rules are not optional and not negotiable.

Stop-work authority

Anyone can stop any job for a safety concern, at any time, without needing permission. There is no retaliation for reporting a hazard, stopping a job, or refusing unsafe work.

General Rules

  • No one operates equipment they haven't been trained and signed off on.
  • No loose clothing, ties, lanyards, dangling jewelry, or unrestrained long hair near rotating equipment. Rings off before touching spindles, chucks, or tooling.
  • No gloves while operating rotating machinery (mills, lathes, drill presses). Gloves are required for chip handling, coolant work, and shrink-fit operations — see the task-specific sections below.
  • Walkways stay clear. Nothing stored in aisles, in front of electrical panels (36-inch clearance minimum), or blocking exits and fire extinguishers.
  • Report every injury, near-miss, and equipment damage the same day — no matter how minor.

PPE Requirements

Minimum required protective equipment by area and task:

Area / Task Required
Anywhere on shop floor Safety glasses (ANSI Z87.1), closed-toe shoes, long pants (no shorts)
Machining in progress nearby Safety glasses + hearing protection if >85 dBA (assume yes when multiple spindles running)
Chip handling / tank cleaning Cut-resistant gloves + safety glasses
Coolant mixing / concentrate handling Nitrile gloves + splash goggles
Shrink-fit station Heat-resistant gloves when handling holders post-cycle
Rigging / machine moves / deliveries Hard hat, steel/composite-toe boots, hi-vis
Compressed air blow-off Safety glasses minimum; face shield for heavy chip clearing

Prescription glasses are not safety glasses unless Z87.1 rated. Over-glasses are available at the PPE station.

Shrink-Fit Station (ZOLLER powerShrink 400)

  • The induction coil heats holders to ~300°C and above. Treat every holder at the station as hot until verified otherwise.
  • Heat-resistant gloves for all post-cycle handling. Use the cooling bells; for small-diameter tooling outside the D6–D32 bell range, follow the posted small-tool cooling procedure and extend cooling dwell time.
  • Anyone with a pacemaker or implanted medical device must not operate or stand adjacent to the induction unit — flag this at onboarding, no explanation required.
  • Hot holders go in the designated cooling rack only. Never on wooden surfaces, near coolant, or where someone else can grab them.
  • No carbide tool bodies or hands in the coil area during a cycle.

Compressed Air

  • Shop air runs 100+ psi. Never use shop air to blow dust or chips off your body or clothing.
  • Blow-off nozzles must be OSHA-compliant (dead-man, <30 psi effective at dead-end per 1910.242(b)). Don't remove or modify nozzle tips.
  • Never point an air nozzle at another person.
  • Check hoses and fittings before use; tag and remove damaged hoses.
  • The compressor (ELGi, 460V) and receiver are maintenance-personnel-only. Don't adjust pressure setpoints, drain valves, or the VSD.

Coolant (TRIM MicroSol 690XT)

  • Mix concentrate per the posted procedure (7% target) using the venturi mixer. Concentrate to water, never water to concentrate. Nitrile gloves + goggles when handling concentrate.
  • The SDS is posted at the coolant station — read it before first use.
  • Prolonged skin contact causes dermatitis. Wash exposed skin promptly; don't leave coolant-soaked clothing on.
  • Coolant on the floor gets cleaned immediately — it's a slip hazard. Absorbent and squeegee at each machine.
  • Never dump coolant, concentrate, or tramp oil down drains. Spent coolant goes in the labeled waste drum for licensed disposal.
  • Report rancid smell or visible biological growth — it's a health issue, not just a quality issue.

Electrical

  • 480V 3-phase feeds the machines and compressor. Panels, disconnects, transformers, and anything behind a cover are licensed-electrician-only.
  • Nobody opens an electrical enclosure while energized. Period.
  • 36-inch minimum clearance in front of all panels and disconnects at all times.
  • Damaged cords, plugs, or visible arcing/burn marks: tag out the equipment and report immediately.
  • Extension cords are temporary-use only, never daisy-chained, never run through doorways or under mats.

Lockout/Tagout (LOTO)

Required before any maintenance, chip conveyor clearing beyond the operator door, tank cleaning, or work inside any guarded or enclosed area:

  1. Notify anyone affected.
  2. Shut down via normal controls.
  3. Isolate at the machine disconnect (and air supply if pneumatics are involved).
  4. Apply your personal lock and tag. One lock per person working.
  5. Verify zero energy — attempt a start, and check stored energy (air, hydraulic accumulators, counterweights, capacitors).
  6. Only the person who applied a lock removes it.

Full written LOTO procedures per machine are kept with the machine maintenance records. If a machine doesn't have one yet, it doesn't get serviced until it does.

Rigging, Deliveries & Machine Moves

  • Machine and heavy-equipment rigging is professional-rigger-only. Employees stay outside the exclusion zone during lifts and moves.
  • Forklift operation requires current certification. No riders, no elevated personnel on forks, loads low and tilted back.
  • Never walk under a suspended load or between a moving load and a fixed object.
  • Delivery days: hi-vis, hard hats, and a designated spotter for anything coming through the main door.

Fire, Chips & Housekeeping

  • Aluminum fines and dust: keep accumulation down. Dry fine chips are a fire risk — no smoking, no open flame, no grinding sparks near chip storage.
  • Know your extinguisher locations and types. Do not use water on an electrical or metal-fines fire.
  • Oily rags go in the closed metal rag can, nothing else.
  • End of shift: chips cleared, coolant wiped, tools returned to the crib, aisles clear.

Emergency Procedures

  • In any emergency, call 911 first, then notify the facility emergency contact: Avnish Sachar — +1-508-826-3457.
  • The facility address (give it to dispatch): 175 New Boston St, Suite A, Woburn, MA 01801 — see Company Overview → Location & Contacts.
  • Emergency exits and the assembly point are posted at the main entrance — know both.
  • First-aid kit and eyewash station locations are posted; the eyewash is inspected weekly (logged).
  • Any coolant or chemical in the eyes: 15 minutes at the eyewash, then medical evaluation. Non-negotiable.
  • Power loss mid-cycle: stay clear of machines until a controlled restart; spindles and axes can move on power restoration.

Visitors & Contractors

  • All visitors: safety glasses and closed-toe shoes, escorted at all times, briefed on E-stop and exit locations.
  • Contractors review this document and sign in before work. Contractors doing hot work, electrical, or roof work need the applicable permit and scope reviewed first.

Training & Sign-Off

  • New hires and contractors complete a shop safety orientation before floor access.
  • Machine-specific sign-off is required per machine (CNC machines, presetter, shrink-fit, CMM, coolant mixer, forklift).
  • Refresher annually or after any incident or near-miss involving that equipment.
  • Training records are logged and retained by the shop safety owner.

Incident Reporting

  • Near-misses matter as much as injuries. Report same-day to the shop safety owner.
  • No retaliation for reporting, stopping a job, or refusing unsafe work. Anyone can stop any job for a safety concern.