PPE
Unlike clothing, hair, and jewelry controls - which activate before interaction with equipment - this attire requirement applies from the moment you enter the STEM Center, all the time.
What is fully enclosed footwear?
This hazard occurs when rotating equipment catches hair, clothing, jewelry, or a loose item and pulls it into the machine.
What is entanglement?
This is the only machine type in the STEM Center where nitrile gloves are required - not prohibited - because uncured resin and isopropyl alcohol are the primary hazards, not moving parts.
What is the resin 3D printer (Form 4)?
This material is approved for the CNC mill but not permitted on the CO₂ laser cutter, and creates heat, sharp swarf, and combustible fine particulate when machined.
What is aluminum 6061?
This liquid is often found in the STEM Center at Cornell Tech near Yoav and is safe to drink, but should not be left open near machines and equipment.
What is Coke Zero?
An N95 and a P100 both filter particulate, but neither protects against fumes or vapors. This cartridge, combined with a P100, is the option listed on machine records when vapor protection is also required.
What is the OV cartridge (organic vapor)?
Sanding, cutting, or machining can release small solid particles into the air, creating this airborne hazard.
What is dust or airborne particulate?
On this machine type, gloves are prohibited during operation because the moving abrasive surface draws a glove in faster than a bare hand, making the intended protection the actual hazard.
What is the belt/disc sander?
This engineered material sheet is approved and easy to machine, but produces very fine persistent dust and can release binder vapour when heated.
What is MDF?
PPE sits at the bottom of this four-step decision framework - applied only after elimination, engineering controls, and administrative controls have been considered first.
What is the hierarchy of controls?
Of the four PPE categories on every machine record - eye/face, respiratory, hearing, and hands - this is the only one that also appears as "Prohibited."
What are hands (gloves)?
This mechanical hazard is unique because the PPE most people would reach for - a glove - can actually make the injury worse: it's drawn into the moving surface far faster than a bare hand.
What is abrasion?
This is the most PPE-intensive machine type in the STEM Center - the only one requiring sealed goggles rather than safety glasses, plus a P100 respirator.
What is powder coating?
This material machines well mechanically on the CNC, but absorbs CO₂ laser energy poorly - charring and melting rather than vaporizing cleanly, and releasing vapour in the process.
What is polycarbonate?
This UL standard governs relocatable power taps, the power strips commonly used to extend outlets in workspaces, and sets the requirements for overload protection and safe electrical load distribution.
What is UL1363
A face shield adds valuable coverage but always requires this - rated to the same standard as the shield itself - to be worn underneath it, because a face shield is not a substitute for primary eye protection.
What are ANSI Z87.1 safety glasses or goggles?
This is the only hazard in the glossary where the policy assigns a meaningful numerical threshold - the 85 dBA benchmark - because both level and duration together determine the risk.
What is noise?
This additive manufacturing machine type carries hot surface and fume hazards simultaneously but doesn't require the user to wear PPE when using it for its primary function because containment is its primary control.
What is a 3D printer?
This material holds the website's strongest restriction - "Not permitted on site". It produces a fine dust that leads to splinters when interacting with abrasion such as sanding or cutting.
What is carbon fiber?
Using the same vacuum or dust collection system for both wood dust and aluminum machining waste is prohibited because aluminum produces fine combustible particulate - and combining the two in an enclosed system creates this hazard.
What is a combustible dust fire or explosion hazard?
This is the minimum Noise Reduction Rating for earmuffs specified in the STEM Center hearing protection options.
What is NRR 25+?
Heating, printing, cutting, or soldering can release this airborne hazard. The policy specifically warns that encoding "N95" as the automatic answer here is wrong - because particulate filters do nothing against it.
What are fumes or vapors?
This machine type can carry fumes/vapor, fire, AND optical radiation hazards simultaneously, because certain materials release gases when cut and ignition inside the enclosure is possible - making material selection a safety decision, not just a process one.
What is the CO₂ laser cutter?
This restricted chemical is used to wash uncured resin off printed parts - but its rapid evaporation means the greatest vapour exposure occurs at three specific moments: when it is poured, when the washer is opened, and when wet parts are handled.
What is isopropyl alcohol (99.9%)?
This liquid is often found in large quantities at a STEM Center near the CNC (also near Yoav) and is safe to drink.
What is coolant?