Professionalism and Housekeeping

One important part of safety and accident prevention is good housekeeping. We seldom think about it, but many unsafe conditions can be corrected before they result in injury. Good housekeeping is a necessity for a safe job site. When rubbish is allowed to accumulate on the job site or in the shop, it gets in the way and makes operations more dangerous. Time may also be lost if you just move rubbish from one place to another instead of using proper bins or disposal procedures.

A clean work environment also leads to pride in workmanship. An unorganized work area can slow your production and looks unprofessional.

Keeping your work area clean and organized has many positive attributes.

Some handy work area hints include:

• Before you begin a project, remove all unnecessary tools and equipment that may be in your way.
• If you plan your work, the tools needed for one job will flow well into the next and will save you the time of cleaning up or looking for tools.
• Place your tools conveniently and lay your tools out slightly away from your work so that you do not crowd your workspace.
• Never place tools inside equipment, as these loose tools may cause damage if allowed to slide into components or if accidentally left behind after job completion.
• As you work, remove all foreign objects and tools that are no longer required.
• Use the right tool for the job and never use damaged tools or equipment.
• Do not eat at your workbench. Grease and crumbs can lead to component and equipment failure.
• Clean up spills immediately to prevent falls.
• Remove scrap material regularly to the proper disposal or recycling location.
• At the end of the job or day, clean up, and you will feel better starting on a fresh new job tomorrow rather than cleaning up after yesterday.