The blind leading the blind

I saw a TV advertisment today for the local TAFE (Technical And Further Education) establishment in my nearby town of Wodonga.

As the place has some nice machinery I have been considering whether to sign up for a course.

Imagine my dismay when the ad showed a young person operating a running lathe without any eye protection or even a chuck guard.

So I attempted to contact the TAFE via their website ("Contact Us" to register my dismay and my message was rejected by their server.

This is the message that I attempted to send, I kept it for when I visit the place personally.

I noticed your TV advertisment today (#9 Go) showing a young person operating a lathe without eye protection. Not only is this a bad practice it is also contrary to OH&S regulations and a terrible example to present to the public.

Whomever supervised this advertisment requires either re-training or replacement.

Please edit or delete the advertisment in question.

* Danny *

All the required boxes were ticked re: contact details etc so it appears that a trip into town is on the agenda.

I wonder how many layers of red tape and petty bureaucracy I have to jump through to get the message through?

* Danny M *

Prior to retirement, I thought about buying the very latest version of my lathe.

"Is this for you, or for a school or college?"

"For me. Why do you ask?"

"You don't need a chuck guard, but a school or college machine must have one"

When I read to cost, I bought a larger lathe, elsewhere, for a lot less, and got a lot more; chuck guard and toolpost guard included.

Howard

Video or pic? Could be a difference between ‘looking at’ and ‘using’. However, eye protection should be the order of the day whenever in that working area - there may be others making flying chips! Most certainly not a good advert.

100% agree. When I worked in industry over 30 years ago, all machine shops were designated eye protection areas. It was mandatory even if just walking down the gangways.

Edited By Stuart Bridger on 09/01/2020 12:14:11

You're lucky your local TAFE offers such courses to the public. Most don't anymore. Our local TAFE only trains apprentices, no public classes. Which is a shame because Clickspring is the Fitting and Machining instructor there.

Most likely a miscommunication. Ad probably made by a PR Agency who know all about attracting potential customers whilst caring nothing whatever about the item being sold.

Engineers aren't allowed to make adverts because the results tend to be deadly dull. Poor old engineers rarely understand were they went wrong. Trouble is we are blissfully unaware that the rest of humanity doesn't give a sh1t about facts or accuracy! Don't ask how I know...

I expect if you did the course, you'd find it run by a techie complete with eye protection and steel toe-caps!

Dave

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 09/01/2020 13:41:11

Not the first time, and certainly not the last, but I suppose we should be glad the subject of this famous photo is wearing safety glasses.

Brian G

Brilliant.

At least the first lady was almost dressed suitably, even if not in ‘working togs’. The one in the second pic is asking for trouble. If one needs to protect ones eyes, lower body parts might also be in the firing line! Perhaps not so potentially ‘life changing’ but not comfortable...

Remember the press motto, "Don't let the facts stand in the way of a good story"

"You mean soldering irons get hot?????????"

Howard

It was a video ndiy, the chuck was spinning and the young operator had his hand on the controls.

When my son attended a basic electronics course at the same TAFE (prior to joining the Royal Australian Navy) he mentioned that all of the function generator kits that the students were constructing were going up in smoke. As he was yet to complete his I asked him to bring home the circuit diagram and the suspect part.

It was a 50µA analogue meter that had been 'converted' to read to 1A by somebody sticking a new scale onto the face. No shunt had been fitted. The students were also required to pay $20 for this 'conversion'.

I sat down with my son, explained the problem and asked him to calculate the value of the required shunt. It was some fraction of an Ohm and I said that such a low value would be impossible to purchase so we would make one. Went to the workshop, gave him a coil of nichrome wire and showed him how to measure the resistance of about 5m then calculate the required length, This was wound onto a 4.7MΩ resistor and worked perfectly. He also made one for his friend. They were the only two people to pass that phase of the course. (I still have the device in my workshop).

I went to the TAFE to complain, had to make an appointment in writing then went to a meeting a week later with the head of the department, his assistant and the teacher in question. Was served nice coffee and biscuits and told that mistakes happen. I simply requested that the students who had failed be re-tested and refunded for the faulty meters,

It was only after I threatened to visit the local newspaper editor that they reluctantly agreed. I also asked the 'teacher' to explain how to calculate the value of the required shunt resistor. He could not - mumbled something like 'he never had his calculator with him'.

Sorry about the saga but it still makes me mad that such people are out there and protected by the system.

* Danny M *

Danny, I don't really understand why you are complaining to the TAFE, they will obviously ignore you, why not make a complaint to your local H+S regulator, who might even have the actual power to do something???

**LINK**

Or alternatively, Australian ad standards might also have some teeth they could use.

https://adstandards.com.au/lodge-complaint

Edited By Cabinet Enforcer on 10/01/2020 10:56:31

All resolved.

I received an email from the head of the department (my message got through) and he said that the young person in the video was wearing eye protection but being of the wrap around acrylic type they were indeed not easy to see.

This would be addressed in any future videos and he assured me that OH&S is taken very seriously at the TAFE.

I am satisfied with this and plan to visit the TAFE to further investigate what courses they are offering and to check out what sort of equipment they have.

I shall get back.

* Danny M *

OK Boomer.