Department of Energy (DOE) OSH Technical Reference

Chapter 10 - Woodworking Machinery

Part 5 - Training

Employees must be trained on all machinery or equipment they are required to use. Usually, shop personnel are trained by their supervisor or a designated trainer. Within DOE, only trained personnel or those undergoing supervised on-the-job training will be allowed to operate shop machinery or equipment. All operators should be trained in the proper operation, safety procedures, hazard recognition, and emergency shutdown procedures for each machine or piece of equipment they use.

The operator training programs should be tailored to an employee's work area. Employees learn more and draw a greater benefit from training that duplicates their daily work rather than a "canned program." As a minimum, the training program should include:

• The nature of hazards for each piece of equipment.

• Safety procedures for special set-ups for each tool.

• How to perform work in a safe manner.

Additionally, the training should be devised so employees can demonstrate their knowledge and skills required to perform their tasks. The supervisor must determine that the employee knows and understands the features of the equipment, all applicable safety rules, and is skilled in operating the equipment (see Appendix A).