by Jeff Zamek
|
Solutions for Common Health and Safety Issues in the Ceramics Studio
by Jeff Zamek |
|
 Potter Robert Compton of Robert Compton Pottery, in Bristol, Vt. Compton's current work includes throwing oversized pots and altering thrown forms. |
Working with clay and glazes is not an inherently dangerous pastime or career. However, as in other areas of life, a little practical knowledge can prevent many potential health and safety problems.
While many ceramists have questions about dramatic health concerns such as respiratory disease or heavy metal poisoning from clays and glazes, the mundane, seemingly insignificant events in the studio are the most common risks. The nature of making pots or ceramic sculpture will bring the artist into frequent contact with hot kilns, sharp edges and heavy lifting situations.
While there are other associated risks in the ceramics studio, the average ceramic artist will face four common hazards frequently: back pain, burns, cuts and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Back pain
Ceramists are constantly working with heavy moist clay or lifting 50 to 100 pound bags of dry clay and glaze materials. When purchasing pre-mixed, moist clay from a ceramics supplier, the clay is shipped in two 25-pound plastic bags in a box weighing a total of 50 pounds. The artist has to unload the clay either from the delivery truck or, at best, move it once the clay is deposited in the studio. This task has to be repeated every time clay is delivered.
In situations where a ceramist makes their own moist clay, bags of dry clay have to be moved into position to be mixed with water to form a plastic mass. Whether moving clay or boxes of finished works, lifting plays a large part in the daily activity of the ceramic artist.
Loading even the smallest shelves found in electric kilns, or the ones found in larger gas kilns, requires bending over and reaching out to place shelves into the kiln. Lifting heavy, bulky objects in this manner can easily cause back strain. The process of throwing clay on the potter's wheel also requires the potter to bend over the wheel to form the clay. As in any activity repeated throughout the day, if done incorrectly it can cause muscle pain and back injury.
Back pain can be prevented by simply not lifting heavy bags of clay or glaze materials. Often, two small trips carrying 25 pounds of clay rather than a whole box containing 50 pounds of clay is smarter and saves energy that can be better used in the creation process. A small hand truck can be useful for moving clay as well. When bending over to lift heavy kiln shelves, always lift the object close to your body, employing your legs to lift rather than reaching over and using your back.
To prevent back pain when working on the potter's wheel, always make sure the wheel head or throwing surface is at the same height as the wheel seat. If the seat is one or two inches higher or lower than the wheel head, it can cause back distress. By adjusting the seat height and leaning over the wheel, your upper body weight can be used as leverage to center the clay, rather than using muscle power alone.
APPROVED RESPIRATORS |
|
The following are some of the respirators approved by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) that can be purchased through most ceramics supply companies in the United States: |
Burns and cuts
Ceramists often get severe burns on their arms and fingers when they rush to unload a hot kiln. On many occasions, curiosity or an upcoming deadline for an order or show has caused needless burns. Shelves, posts and fired works, because of their dense thermal mass, retain heat longer than the surrounding air within the kiln. Just because the air inside the kiln is slightly warm does not mean the pots are safe to touch.
It is often best to wait until the kiln temperature drops below 200 degrees Fahrenheit before unloading work from a cooling kiln.
A related safety factor when unloading kilns is the possibility of fired glazes developing razor-sharp edges. This potentially hazardous situation can occur when gloss glazes melt over the ridges or high points of the underlying clay body. The fired glaze leaves a thin, sharp glass edge that can slice into an unprotected finger or arm. Fired glazes can also run off the work, leaving a glass puddle on the underlying kiln shelf.
Protective eye glasses should be worn at all times when chipping the sharp glaze shards off of kiln shelves. Thick leather gloves should also be worn to prevent glaze cuts when unloading the kiln. Heat Protective Kevlar, non-asbestos gloves work best. Any ceramics supply company, such as Ceramic Supply of New York & New Jersey (which sells throughout the United States; 973-340-3005), should carry the gloves.
FOR MORE INFORMATION |
| Jeff Zamek's book, "What Every Potter Should Know," is available from Jeff Zamek/Ceramics Consulting Services, 6 Glendale Woods Dr., Southampton, MA 01073, for $31.20. |
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) Repetitive Motion Injury
Ceramists can damage their hands from the recurrent motion of wedging or throwing clay on the potter's wheel. Any activity that requires repeated steps can put too much pressure on the nerve that runs through the carpal bone in the wrist. When this nerve is compressed against the bone, the hand and fingers can be affected. Symptoms, like pressure and tingling, can frequently progress to permanent nerve damage. Factory workers on the production line, typists, dentists or anyone involved in repetitive hand movements can experience carpal tunnel injury.
To help prevent CTS, break up any repetitive activity (wedging clay, throwing and trimming pots) into several sessions rather than a prolonged series of events. Don't wedge 200 pounds of clay at once or sit at the potter's wheel for hours at a time. Try shifting from one task to another to avoid prolonged repetitive motion situations.
Raw materials
The issue of how raw materials affect a ceramic artist's health needs more inves-tigation. Industrial workers and miners have exhaustive medical documentation to draw on for health and safety guidelines. Ceramists do not enjoy such comprehensive studies that would help them evaluate the ceramic materials they come into contact with daily in their ceramics studios.
The unresolved safety issue requires ceramists to be conservative in their handling of raw materials. With this in mind, it is a good practice to wear a respirator or face mask any time clay or glaze materials are being mixed in their dry form. It's also important to wear a respirator whenever you are cleaning the ceramics studio. Such safety precautions will help ensure a healthy working environment.
Jeff Zamek received bachelor's and master's of fine arts degrees in ceramics from Alfred University, College of Ceramics, in New York. He taught ceramics at Simon's Rock College in Great Barrington, Mass., and Keane College in Elizabeth, N.J. In 1980 he started his own ceramics consulting firm and has contributed articles to Ceramics Monthly, Pottery Making Illustrated, Clay Times, Studio Potter, and Craft Horizons.
Copyright© 2001
JANUARY 2001: TABLE OF CONTENTS