In Brief
This article describes Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's (WHOI) various machine shops, including shops with professional machinists and satellite machine shops used by research personnel.
It discusses hazards in machine shops, including a serious injury at WHOI that resulted in an OSHA citation and penalty.
Finally, it describes the development and implementation of a comprehensive machine shop safety program.
The machine shops at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) play a critical role in enabling its mission of world-class ocean science through the design, fabrication and maintenance of ships, vehicles and facilities that are used to work anywhere in the world's oceans. WHOI has approximately 25 machine shops in all major laboratory buildings on two campuses located in Woods Hole, MA.
The machine shops range in size and type, from a larger than 900 m2 facility operated by professional machinists to one smaller than 20 m2 operated by research personnel. These machine shops use various large floor-type and small tabletop machinery, including water jet cutters, press brakes, lathes, milling machines, table saws, band saws, drill presses, laser cutters and grinders. The machine shops perform maintenance, repair, fabrication and installation work on scientific instruments, shipboard equipment, hoisting equipment, physical plant and other mechanical systems.
WHOI has experienced serious injuries in its machine shops, including a 2015 incident involving a water jet machine that cuts thick metal parts. The incident led to enforcement action from OSHA, which served as a wake-up call for WHOI to comprehensively review and enhance the safety of its machine shops. This article describes WHOI's machines shops and their purpose, hazards, controls, key elements of a comprehensive safety program, fire prevention and waste management.
