Safety in the Textiles Room

Nobody wants to have an accident. Most accidents are caused by people who are not concentrating on what they are doing. For a brief run down of the major safety considerations in our classroom, please watch the following YouTube video. 

To protect yourself and others, learn and follow these safety instructions.

1. Never operate a machine when the teacher is out of the room.

2. Report any slight accident immediately to the teacher.

3. Keep all working areas clean, particularly the floor, so that no one will slip and fall. Threads and pins are slippery on the floor.

4. Always be principled and balanced. Accidents occur most often when people fool around, or are not paying attention to what they are doing.

5. When inserting a plug into the socket, hold the plug without touching the prongs.

6. When disconnecting a plug, hold the plug. Never pull on the cord. You could damage the wire connections and give yourself an electrical shock.

7. Do not dangle the foot pedal by the cord. This will damage the cords inside.

8. Never touch a plug or socket with wet hands. Water conducts electricity.

9. Unplug irons from the electricity supply after use and wrap the cords loosely. Do not wrap tightly as it may damage connections. Irons must be cold when put away.

10. To test the temperature of the iron – place iron face down on ironing board for a few seconds. If the ironing board area becomes hot, then the iron is ready to use.

11. Irons should never be left face down on the ironing board, even if turned off. It could start a fire.

12. Take care of your fingers when you are ironing to avoid getting burns from the iron or scalds from the steam.

13. Keep your fingers away from the machine needle when sewing.

14. When you are using a sewing machine, be aware of loose clothing; it might get caught. Wear appropriate footwear for operating the foot pedal.

15. Handle scissors carefully. Carry them by the closed blade, and pass them by the handle first.

16. Never hold pins in your mouth. Think of what could happen if you swallowed a pin. Also no pins under your skin.

17. Store all tools and equipment carefully when not in use.

18. Do not leave needles, scissors, pins, or other sharp-pointed objects on chairs or on furniture (eg. seam ripper).

19. Learn how to use pins, scissors, and the sewing machine properly. If you don’t know, ask for help.

20. Be careful on trying on pinned garments.

21. Use a slow speed on an electric sewing machine while you are learning to operate it. Make sure you are in control of the machine.

22. Do not touch the hot light bulb in the machine.

23. Arrange electric cords of the machine on the floor so that it will not cause anyone to stumble. Be aware of the movement of the chairs with the cords.

24. A broken needle can splinter and go in your eyes. Do not sew over pins with the machine.

25. If the machine jams or makes unusual or strange noises, stop immediately – ask the teacher for help.