Quote Originally Posted by mklotz View Post
Idiot proofing an environment where people are trained to go on to work in commercial shops that have no such idiot proofing seems unwise to me. The danger of such safety devices is that the students will unconsciously feel that they are protected and there is no need for them to develop the thinking and muscle memory that will protect them at their future work sites.

The device is a good solution to the problem that will make the rapacious lawyers happy but it's a solution to a problem that the protectee should learn to solve himself.
I have to agree with Marv on this, safety needs to be the responsibility of the user.

My lathe came with an interlock being the cover that needed to be flipped down (it is up in your video). I quickly bypassed that microswitch because that cover made it hard to see what was going on. I did make a key holder that was on the back apron so that I had a place for the key to be. I could have moved the interlock to that, but it is better to develop discipline. Why – because mechanical devices can fail and while microswitches are very reliable, I have replaced a few broken ones for various machines (including a washing machine).

I teach firearm safety and one of my examples in learning muscle memory is to have a student demonstrate carrying a cordless drill. Invariably, they will put their finger on the trigger – muscle memory. We weren’t “pretending” it was a firearm, we were just showing the natural muscle memory. That memory becomes a habit and also can be learned to be safe.

What I would do is have a holder for the key on each lathe as that is where it is supposed to go when running. I would then have students assigned to do a check on each operator, just an observation and record successes on a piece of paper. They don’t have to do it close to the operator, a distance away. All students get assigned this task so they all see how the others are doing. The instructor can intervene if needed, but only the instructor does feedback.

Learn to put the tool(s) away before starting work. Keep the workspace clear before starting up. Keep it simple, make it easy to develop good habits…