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teacher says my van de graf generator has to be OSHA compliant

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casey

Mon Dec 01 2008, 09:58PM

Registered Member #1787 Joined: Thu Oct 30 2008, 12:33AM
Location:
Posts: 13

what do i do? I have no clue what OSHA regulations are. thought somebody might know.

Proud Mary

Mon Dec 01 2008, 10:34PM

Registered Member #543 Joined: Tue Feb 20 2007, 04:26PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4992

Health & Safety.

I'd guess that this means your generator will have to be very small and run off low voltage batteries, so that even the most foolish person could not be harmed by it.

IamSmooth

Mon Dec 01 2008, 11:21PM

Registered Member #190 Joined: Fri Feb 17 2006, 12:00AM
Location:
Posts: 1567

OSHA, concerning the General Duty Clause, is looking for places, objects and hazards that can cause death or serious bodily harm.

Things specific to the Van de Graaf that need to meet OSHA standards:

Ozone production
Low oxygen levels from O2 consumption
Ionizing radiation
Fire potential
Noise levels
Risk of electrocution

Nik

Mon Dec 01 2008, 11:28PM

Registered Member #53 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 04:31AM
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 638

Thank god my VDG never had to comply with standards.

A good way to keep your drive "safe" would be to use a cordless (or corded) drill. You wont have to modify it at all and it can't electrically harm any one.

Steve Ward

Tue Dec 02 2008, 03:20AM

Registered Member #146 Joined: Sun Feb 12 2006, 04:21AM
Location: Austin Tx
Posts: 1055

Your teacher sucks.

VDGs are a staple of the physics classroom. They are mostly harmless, and highly educational and inspiring to young minds.

Its too bad your teacher is too afraid of it. Ive run into this before, except it was people who run the museum. Its amazing how people who run science and education facilities (teachers, and museum directors) can be afraid of science and technology because they dont understand it.

Chris Russell

Tue Dec 02 2008, 04:45AM

... not Russel!
Registered Member #1 Joined: Thu Jan 26 2006, 12:18AM
Location: Tempe, Arizona
Posts: 1052

casey wrote ...

what do i do? I have no clue what OSHA regulations are. thought somebody might know.

From:

Q: What does it mean to be OSHA-certified, and who actually does the certification?

A: As a general rule, OSHA does not certify employees, trainers, or training programs. OSHA sets the rules and, technically, it is the employer who has the responsibility to "certify" that their staff has complied with the applicable OSHA regulations. A certificate is issued by an employer or by a training firm used by that employer to attest to the fact that certain standards have been met.

So, your teacher is ultimately the one who will decide whether it's up to snuff or not, unless s/he wishes to defer to a higher authority in the classroom.

See what exactly s/he expects. If s/he really expects you to measure the ppm production of ozone and oxygen consumption of your VDG, it's not going to be worth your hassle. I would probably demand that s/he apply the same standards to any laser printers or copy machines in the room, as they can also produce ozone.

Sulaiman

Tue Dec 02 2008, 07:35PM

Registered Member #162 Joined: Mon Feb 13 2006, 10:25AM
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 3140

I would imagine that the only significant hazard is the motor/belt combination.
Ensure that no one can get near the motor/belt when in operation.
Get a big red emergency cut-off button, or even better (overkill) a dead-man's switch
i.e. a push-to-operate switch that you have to hold pressed for operation.

The electrical and ozone hazards are negligible in a typical environment.

IamSmooth

Tue Dec 02 2008, 10:02PM

Registered Member #190 Joined: Fri Feb 17 2006, 12:00AM
Location:
Posts: 1567

You might save some trouble if you call one of the science museums that you know has one and ask what safety protocols they follow. Get it in writing and make sure yours does the same. You can then present this to your teacher saying you meet the same standards as The Ben Franklin Science Museum, for example.

casey

Wed Dec 03 2008, 03:13PM

Registered Member #1787 Joined: Thu Oct 30 2008, 12:33AM
Location:
Posts: 13

well... no more vdg. i'm doing a display with simple dc motors like this http://web.mit.edu/cmse/educational/motor_lp_kristy.pdf you would pretty much have to trip and slam you head into my project to get hurt.

LithiumLord

Wed Dec 03 2008, 06:28PM

Registered Member #1739 Joined: Fri Oct 03 2008, 10:05AM
Location: Moscow, Russia
Posts: 261

If I get it right, any device that produces no harmfull radiation nor gases in sufficient amounts can get compliant to any set of rules by putting a huge warning sign (trip hazard? sry, that one always made me giggle). However if the teacher wants some papers, bring her a toilet one - because this is a real overkill.

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