Jewelry Shop Design – Taking a Close Look at Health and Safety

After a lot of hard work and planning your jewelry shop design, you are ready to set it up. Before you continue, it is important to take a close look at the health and safety procedures that need to be put in place. Even though you are planning to be involved in jewelry making at home, you are still a professional and your jewelry studio needs to be set that way.

The best safety measure is to have a jewelry shop design that is well planned and laid out. A well organized jewelry studio were materials, equipment and supplies are accessible prevents accidents. Many accidents happen when people become complacent and stop using safety measures.

Here are some guidelines to help assess the health and safety of your jewelry design shop:

Process and traffic flow: How do you work with all the jewelry making materials in the studio. Is the process clearly defined to avoid unnecessary traffic flow?

Safety Equipment: This is a list of the equipment you want to include in your jewelry shop design:

• Safety goggles or a face shield – The ones made with polycarbonate work well. Not only they protect you from sharp objects and dust, they also offer UV protection.
  

• Safety apron – this is particularly important when soldering or working with chemicals.
  

• Safety gloves to handle object in and out of the kiln.
  

  Local ventilation – designed to suck all the dust in the studio and re-directed to the outside. This is important to prevent dangerous particles to enter your lungs. The ventilator needs to also work to filter the fumes produced by molten metal.
  

• Disposable Dust/Particulate Respirators: Most single use disposable particle masks (double strapped types) are designed to protect the lungs from particles as well as certain dusts and fumes.
  

Have a well provisioned first aid kit – make sure that it includes supplies to treat burns

Electrical Safety : Hire an electrician to check your electrical wiring and outlets. Pay special attention to grounding. Ergonomic Safety: How you move, sit, stand and work will affect your body in the long run. Place tool and equipment in a way that is supportive of your body posture. An important part of ergonomic safety is the placement of lighting. It is important to have a well plan lighting jewelry studio design.

Temperature Conditions: Having a way to control the temperature in the studio can help you be more creative. Always take into account the sources of heat, such as torches and kilns. Humidity can cause rusting and make tools and equipment unsafe.

Storage of Materials and Supplies: Secure heavy equipment so that is safe and steady. Bolt shelves to the wall to prevent them from falling when heavy tools are place on them. Label all chemicals clearly; you do not want to create unsafe chemical fumes when mixing the wrong compounds.

Waste Disposal: Have a clear plan in place as to how you will dispose of chemical compounds and liquids. Check with you waste disposal company for guides and procedures.

Equipment Maintenance: Periodically check your equipment and jewelry making tools. Maintain them clean and lubricated. This will go a long way to prevent injuries.

Never wear long chains or necklaces while working in the jewelry studio, always tie your hair to prevent getting it caught in the equipment. There have been many serious accidents caused by hair or jewelry getting caught in the polishing wheel.

These are just some suggestions, there are not meant to provide full safety recommendations to use when developing your jewelry shop design. It is important that you check with professionals in all the different areas. The National Institute for Occupational Safety (NIOSH) provides comprehensive information on jewelry studio safety that you can incorporate into your jewelry shop design. It is a great place to start and learn more about keeping yourself safe.

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