Safe use of lathes

Using a lathe incorrectly can present risks to both the user and other people in the work area. This could lead to a serious accident resulting in significant personal injuries.

Managing the risks

To help you identify the hazards associated with using a lathe and the appropriate ways of controlling them, use our example Risk Assessment  - Safe Use of Lathes. It covers the generic hazards associated with this type of activity and suggests control measures to reduce risks to an acceptable level. You should ensure that your document only addresses “significant” hazards, i.e. any that could, and more importantly are likely to, cause an accident or injury.

Note. This risk assessment only deals with the generic risks associated with lathe use. As lathes differ in both size, type and function you should ensure that relevant training is undertaken before the lathe is used for the first time. Any risks identified by the manufacturer in operating manuals etc. should also be taken into consideration.

Make your instructions clear

Don’t include activities in your document that simply don’t need to be there. Work to the principle that if there is any chance of your staff being unaware of the safe way of doing something, then you will need to make it clear in your document. Finally, always ensure that any control measures you identify and follow are decided upon the principle of “so far as is reasonably practicable”. 

Note. The list of potential hazards is not exhaustive. However, for your risk assessment to be considered suitable and sufficient in the eyes of the law it must accurately reflect the “significant” hazards found when using lathes.