HEALTH AND SAFETY
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GENERAL PRECAUTIONS
There probably aren't many documented cases of people
dying from working with warm glass, but there are plenty of cuts and burns and
opportunities for even more serious health and safety problems.
It seems obvious that glass can cut and hot glass can burn, but many people
don't realize that working with glass can be dangerous in other ways. If you're
not careful, you can ruin your lungs, damage your eyes, and even burn your house
to the ground.
The purpose of this discussion isn't to scare you away; rather, it's to
make you aware of the potential warm glass health and safety pitfalls and to
offer some suggestions to keep you on the right track. Many of these
suggestions will seem like common sense. Unfortunately, they aren't always
"commonly" used.
- Don't go barefoot. Wear shoes with closed-in toes. If your hair is long,
tie it back. Don't wear loose fitting clothes. Cotton or other natural
fiber is best. Long sleeves help if you're reaching in the kiln. Wear
gloves and respirators when needed.
- Use your head. Most injuries can be prevented if you just think about what
you're doing.
- The occasional cuts are fairly easy to deal with — just wash your hands
well and wrap on an adhesive bandage until the bleeding stops. A
"triple ointment" (Neosporin is one brand — it contains three
different antibiotics.) can help the cuts heal faster.
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GLASS CUTTING AND
GRINDING
Glass dust — or silica dust, to be more specific — can be a far greater
problem than cutting yourself. Scoring glass with a glasscutter releases small
particles, but these aren't generally worrisome. A greater potential problem
lies with the use of grinder.
In addition to the ground glass that gets slung around, using a grinder can
whirl a fine mist of dust into the air. The major way to keep this under control
is to make sure you keep the grinder head and glass edges wet.
If you inhale too much glass dust (and the particles can be too fine to
tell), you might get silicosis, a lung disorder that more frequently associated
with coal miners than with glass cutting. Never grind glass without plenty of
water to keep it moist and well lubricated. Not only will this keep the glass
dust from becoming airborne, your grinder do a better job.
Also, always wear safety glasses when grinding or working with a glass saw.
The risk of getting a small particle in your eye more than offsets any possible
discomfort. Basic eyewear is inexpensive, is available to easily fit people (and
faces) of all sizes, and shouldn't hinder your ability to see the work you're
grinding.
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KILN SAFETY
Kiln safety starts with where you place the kiln. It should be obvious that a
kiln belongs on cement or other nonflammable surface, but more than one
unthinking person has placed them on a wooden floor. Keep kilns at least three
feet from anything that can catch fire, and make sure flammable liquids and
loose papers are secured even further away.
It's also best to place your kiln on a stand that keeps it directly off the
floor and allows for air circulation underneath. Keep an ABC fire extinguisher
nearby (that's good for all kinds of fires) and learn how to use it should the
need arise.
Also, if you have a kiln that requires a special electrical connection, spend
the extra money and have a qualified electrician set it up. Make sure you have a
separate circuit for the kiln and know the location of the switch or breaker
that cuts off the power to the kiln.
It's obvious that the kiln will be hot on the inside when it's operating,
but be aware that most kilns get hot on the outside as well. Even the
handle, which you'd think would be insulated, can get too hot to touch. So
make sure you wear gloves if you need to open the kiln while it's hot.
Many kiln manuals will tell you to never open the kiln when it's hot, but
that's not very practical advice. Many standard warm glass operations, such as
combing and topping off glass molds, require access to the kiln while it the
glass is hot. If you do this, do it safely by wearing protective equipment
(gloves, goggles, etc.) and by — this is critical — cutting off power to the
kiln before you open it. By cutting off the power you minimize the risk of
electrical burns and you make certain that touching "hot" elements won't
deliver a potentially painful shock.
In addition to dealing with the heat and electrical components of the kiln,
it's also essential to protect your eyes is equally important when you're
working around the kiln. If you open the kiln watch out for gusts of hot air or
bubbles in the glass that could pop and harm your eyes.
Another situation where eye protection is necessary is when you look into the
kiln when the glass is heating. When the temperature climbs above around 1100
degrees F (600 C), the glass will start to glow red. The intensity of this glow
increases as the glass gets hotter. If you look into the kiln while the glass is
glowing, you should take care to protect your eyes.
The main reason for this is that hot glass emits infrared rays. Prolonged
exposure to infrared wavelengths can result in cataracts, a blurring of the
vision that often occurs many years after repeated unprotected exposure. You can
block infrared rays by using the right kind of eyeglasses.
The least expensive kind of glasses to use are welder's glasses, which are
generally available in hardware and similar stores. These glasses, which block
infrared light, are rated with a number that corresponds to how efficiency they
block the rays. Number 3 welder's glasses (sometimes called Colobar) are
sufficient for warm glass purposes. Glasses up to a darkness of 5 can also be
successfully used in the workshop. Lamp-working glasses (which have didymium
lenses) don't block infrared rays and shouldn't be used for kiln work.
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TREATING BURNS
If you're lucky, you'll never burn yourself. If you're human, you
probably will. Since kilns operate at much higher temperatures than a household
oven, the potential for severe burns is always there. Most burns occur because
you aren't using the right safety equipment or because your attention
momentarily strays and you get careless. Proper treatment depends on the
severity of the burn, but treating as soon as possible is essential for all
burns.
For first degree burns, where the skin is red and painful, you should
immediately cool the burn by placing it under cold running water. Then an
ointment or protective dry bandage can be used. Aloe vera plants (see below) can
be especially helpful in treating the burn and helping it heal more quickly.
Second degree burns, where the burned area blisters or swells, are more
serious. In addition to immersing them in cold water, it may help to cover them
with a sterile bandage and treat with aloe vera or a similar preparation. Never
pop the blisters or peel back the damaged skin. These burns take longer to heal
than first degree burns, but it's not usually necessary to see a doctor.
Third degree burns are the most serious of all. The skin may be charred and
the damage extends deep beneath the surface. Medical attention should always be
sought for burns of this severity. Don't try to clean the burned area;
instead, just cover the area, keep calm, and get medical help immediately.
There are many commercially available ointments for treating minor burns, but
one that works very well is to use the juice of the aloe vera plant. There are
over 240 varieties of aloe, but the one that works best is the aloe barbadensis
miller variety. To use it to treat burns, you just break off a leaf and apply
some of the liquid on the burned area.
Sometimes more than one leaf may be necessary. You'll be surprised how
quickly it can relieve the pain and get you back to working with glass. Live
plants work best, so many glassworkers keep one in a pot near the work area.
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VENTILATION
Most people don't think about ventilation when they think about their work
areas, but good air movement is a must. Many tasks in glassworking, from
grinding to drying kiln wash to working with enamels and silica, give off fumes
or particles that could be harmful. Your work area may have enough
"natural" ventilation to take care of these contaminants with no
further assistance, or you may need to install a fan in a window.
If you do a lot of glass painting using enamels or frequently use molds with
contaminants that need to be burned away, then you should consider investing in
a system that will vent air from your studio.
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CERAMIC FIBER PRODUCTS
It's nearly impossible to do warm glass work without exposing yourself to
ceramic fiber products. Fiber paper is perhaps the most commonly used item in
this category, but ceramic fiber products also include fiber blanket and fiber
board. All of these should be treated with respect, as should silica dust. These
items are potential dangerous and can be carcinogenic, especially at high
temperatures.
If you have decided to use ceramic fiber products in your work area, consider
taking the following precautions to help minimize the dangers inherent in these
materials.
- Wear a respirator in any situation where you are dealing with loose
fibers or silica dust. Make sure you have the proper respirator for
filtering out these particles -- it should have a purple/pink cartridge.
- If you work with plaster/silica molds, consider obtaining a vacuum
cleaner that's rated for removal of asbestos or other potential
carcinogens.
- Even if you only use fiber paper occasionally, it's a good idea to use
sweeping compound to help clean your work area. This substance is
sprinkled around an area with loose fibers, then just swept and discarded.
- Wear latex or similar gloves when cutting or molding ceramic fiber
products.
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HAZARDOUS
CHEMICALS
In addition to ceramic fiber products, many substances
which are commonly used in glassworking can be hazardous. Glass itself can
contain hazardous ingredients, but these are generally not a problem at warm
glass temperatures. Some commonly used substances, such as silica or muriatic
acid, require the use of protective gloves or a respirator.
If in doubt about the safety of a particular material, ask the manufacturer
for a copy of the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), which will contain
important information about the substance and how it should be handled and used.
The key thing to remember is to be always on the lookout for hazardous
chemicals and protect yourself accordingly.
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ESSENTIAL SAFETY
EQUIPMENT
It is highly recommended that you invest in the following equipment to help
keep your studio safe and make warm glass more enjoyable.
-- A fire extinguisher. Pick one that's rated "ABC" for
fires of any type, from electrical to paper. Keep it near the kiln, inspect it
regularly, and know how to use it. You'll probably never need it, but you'll
be eternally grateful if you do.
-- Simple first aid items. Start with common items such as adhesive
bandages, burn ointments, and aspirin or a similar painkiller.
-- Two kinds of safety glasses. You'll need one pair of clear
safety glasses for grinding and cold working glass and a second pair of shaded
glasses for looking into the kiln.
-- Two kinds of gloves. The first pair of gloves should be made for
withstanding heat. The second should be made of latex or rubber and should be
used for dealing with chemicals.
-- A respirator or mask. Get the kind of mask or respirator that's
rated for the kinds of work you do.
These items should either be kept in a centrally located kit or be available
next to the places where they are used.
Safety is something that most people don't think about, but it takes only a
few extra moments to work safely. Not only is it time well spent, it will go a
long way toward making sure your warm glass experiences are enjoyable,
productive, and safe.
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