Sheet Metal

Sheet Metal

Sheet metal is a very thin metal and is very versatile. Companies use it to manufacture a myriad of items, including HVAC ducts, stove pipes, light tanks, and constructing buildings. Sheet metal workers fabricate and/or install sheet metal. They’ll need cut-resistant gloves and other personal protective equipment to protect them against the hazards of working with sheet metal. Abolox carries all of the personal protective equipment required when working with and fabricating sheet metal and sheet metal items.

Activities and Equipment in Sheet Metal Jobs

Some of the activities that sheet metal workers do during their daily jobs include:

• Handling sheet metal of all sizes, including large metal sheets.
• Inspecting sheet metal.
• Assembling sheet metal.
• Drilling holes for bolts and screws.
• Installing sheet metal products, such as drainpipes, air ducts and furnace casings.
• Fabricating sheet metal parts.
• Joining and welding sheet metal pieces.
• Shaping sheet metal with blocks, anvils and hammers.

Workers in fabrication shops make the sheet metal using certain equipment. As with machine shops, the workers have a lot of hazards from machines and sharp metal edges. Metal can also fly if a machine malfunctions. Workers also have to deal with metal shavings from cutting sheet metal. Some of the equipment you might find in a sheet metal fabrication shop includes:

• Power presses, tubing benders and press brakes are machines that bend and form sheet metal into products or parts of products. The workers insert and withdraw the metal by hand, so they have a high risk of cut injuries.
• Iron workers and power presses are machines that punch metal, as in stamping it or blanking it. The metal is also inserted and withdrawn by hand in these machines.
• Mechanical, hydraulic and pneumatic shears are used to cut and trim sheet metal. As with the other machines, the sheet metal is inserted and withdrawn by hand, so workers have a high risk of cuts.

Using machines means that splinters of metal could fly through the air, hitting not only the machine operator but others within the vicinity of the machine. Requiring personal protective equipment for all workers on the floor means that all workers are less likely to suffer cuts and punctures that could prevent the worker from working for a few days. If the injuries are severe, they could prevent the worker from working for the rest of his or her life and could cost you via worker’s compensation payments or a lawsuit.

Spending money on providing PPE for your employees ends up saving you money in the long run, because there will be injuries that could lead to legal action. If you don’t provide PPE for your employees, be sure to have signage that states that employees are responsible for their own PPE.

Injuries Sheet Metal Workers Sustain

Sheet metal workers often suffer cuts and crush injuries. Abolox carries cut-resistant gloves and impact gloves to minimize the risk of deep cuts and crush injuries. These MCR Safety Gloves have an ANSI cut resistance of A5 and an impact resistance of Level 2, which would protect workers’ hands from cuts and impacts.

Sheet metal can also be hot when workers handle it, especially if it is sitting out in the sun. Gloves will help keep workers from suffering from burns when handling hot sheet metal.

Eye injuries are common when working with sheet metal, especially when cutting, forming, bending, and puncturing sheet metal to fabricate parts. Wearing goggles provides more protection than safety glasses. Adding a face shield also protects most of the face from flying particles, fragments and projectiles.

Material handlers handle pieces of sheet metal with sharp edges. They may move large pieces from one part of the factory to another or may move parts of sheet metal items from one area to another. Using cut-resistance gloves from Abolox significantly reduces the chances of suffering cuts from the sharp edges.

When cutting and forming sheet metal, it could form metal splinters, burrs and chips that could easily cut the workers or fly into their faces. Wearing cut-resistant gloves and face protection significantly reduces the risk of injuries that could prevent workers from performing their jobs.

Visit Abolox

When you need cut-resistant gloves, impact gloves, and eye and face protection, you’ll find what you need at Abolox, including multipurpose gloves that protect your hands from cuts, abrasions and impact. Visit Abolox today to order the personal protective equipment you need to keep yourself or your workers safe. You can purchase PPE individually or in bulk.