1. Understand basic agricultural engineering principles and practices
Objective 6.02

2. Shop Safety Awareness and Principles for Safety
1. Of all farm related accidents, nearly 50% involve working with machinery.
2. Safety involves developing an environment free from danger, risk or injury.
3. The number one key to shop safety is the people who use the shop.
a. Those who work in a shop should always be trained in safe and proper tool operations.
b. Those who work in a shop should always pass a safety test prior to using the shop.
4. Keep the shop in an orderly manner to prevent tripping and related injuries.

3. Shop Safety Awareness and Principles for Safety
5. Remove unnecessary hazards such as oily rags.
6. Minimize danger by making certain all machines have safety shields in place prior to and during operation.
7. Wear appropriate personal protective clothing and devices. For example:
a. Safety glasses or goggles should always be worn to prevent eye injury from dust and flying objects.
b. Leather steel-toed shoes offer protection from items dropped or falling on the feet.
c. Ear protection (plugs or muffs) can prevent hearing loss when the noise level exceeds 90 dB (decibels).
d. Other safety clothing may be required for certain work such as welding.

4. Safety Color Coding in the Agricultural Mechanics Shop
1. Development of Safety Color Coding
a. National organizations worked together to develop the system.
b. The American Society of Agricultural Engineers and the Safety Committee of the American Vocational Association published the code.
c. Color coding alerts people to dangers and hazards, provides information to help on react quickly in an emergency.
d. Each color or combination of colors conveys a special message based on a standard code.

5. Safety Color Coding in the Agricultural Mechanics Shop
2. Basic Safety Code Colors
a. RED Identifies areas of danger. Red is used on safety switches and fire extinguishers.
Red = Danger.
b. ORANGE Designates machine hazards, such as edges and openings. It is also used as background for electrical switches, levers and controls.
Orange = Warning.
c. YELLOW Identifies wheels, levers, and knobs that adjust or control machines . Yellow = Caution.
d. BLUE Used on signs such as “Out of Order” to identify broken shop equipment that does not work or does not work properly Blue = Information.
e. GREEN Indicates the presence of first aid and safety equipment. Green = Safety.

6. Fire Hazards in the Agricultural Mechanics Shop
1. The Fire Triangle – Components necessary for a fire.
a. Fuel – Any combustible material that will burn. Examples: oily rags, sawdust, paper, etc.
b. Heat – Most materials burn if they are made hot enough.
c. Oxygen (O) – Gas in the atmosphere that is not a fuel, but must be present for fuels to burn.
2. Fire Prevention
a. Take away one of the components of the fire triangle and fire will not start or will stop if already started.
b. Safe storage of fuels or combustible materials is the easiest fire prevention strategy.
c. Store fuels in approved containers.
d. Clean shop facilities also decrease the chance of fire and injury.

7. Fire Hazards in the Agricultural Mechanics Shop
3. Extinguishing Fires
a. Fire Extinguishers
1) Know the kind of fire extinguisher that is used for different kinds of fires prior to the fire. For example: Class A Fire Extinguishers use water to control ordinary combustibles.
2) Know the placement of fire extinguishers so that time is not taken looking for the extinguisher if a fire occurs. Fire Extinguishers should be hung on walls within easy reach in areas where fires would most likely occur.
3) Know how to use the fire extinguisher.
Generally, extinguishers are held upright, the ring pin is pulled, and a lever is pressed.
The nozzle of the extinguisher is directed toward the base of the fire to discharge the extinguisher.
b. Other examples
1) Wrapping a person in a blanket whose clothes are on fire to eliminate oxygen from getting to the fire.
2) Cooling with water from a hose or bucket a burning container of paper.

8. Planning an Agricultural Engineering Project –using drawing instruments
1. Simple Project Designs
a. The first item needed for the highest quality scaled drawing is a sharp lead pencil.
b. A protractor is used for drawing and measuring angles.
c. A good eraser helps make corrections without distorting the image.
d. A twelve-inch ruler will work for basic drawings.
e. A compass is used for drawing circles and arches.

9. Planning an Agricultural Engineering Project –using drawing instruments
2. More Detailed Plans
a. A drawing board is used for attaching the drawing paper.
b. Masking tape is used to secure the drawing paper to the drawing board.
c. The T square is helpful for drawing horizontal lines.
d. The right triangle (30, 60, 90 degree triangle) in conjunction with the T square, is used to draw vertical lines.
e. The scale is an instrument with all increments shortened according to proportion.
1) Flat scale – looks similar to a ruler.
2) Triangular scale – three sided, but six scales.
3. Large Scale Projects
a. Use CAD (computer- aided design) for these projects.
b. CAD can significantly reduce design time for large scale projects.

10. Basics of Drawing
1. A sketch is a rough drawing that is not to scale. A sketch does have dimensions included. ( Many a project idea has first been sketched on a napkin over lunch ).
2. A pictorial drawing shows all three dimensions at once. All three views, front, side (end), and top are in view. (picture on p. 281)
3. A scale drawing is one that represents an object in exact proportion although the object is larger or smaller than the drawing itself.
4. If the scale is ¼” =1’, ¼” on the drawing would equal 1’ on the actual object. Therefore, a 2” line on the drawing would equal 8’ on the object (2 divided by ¼ = 8).
5. The scale will vary depending on the size of the object being drawn.

11. Reading a Tape Rule
1. Tape rules display units of measure from both the U.S. customary system and the metric system.
2. Rules are marked to show halves, quarters, eighths, and sixteenths of an inch. Typically, vertical lines of different heights represent these various intervals.

12. Basic Construction Project Tips
1. Wood Projects
a. The fastest way to fasten wood is by nailing. A nail hammer or nail gun are the preferred tools for driving nails.
b. Screws hold better than nails and are driven quickly with power screw drivers. The flathead screw is the one most used in woodworking. The Phillips head is preferred.
c. Bolts are particularly useful for fastening wood at high stress points ( ie. picnic table legs).
d. Gluing – a properly glued wood joint will be as strong as the wood itself.
1) Gluing is often accompanied by nails, screws, etc.
2) Boards are held in place for gluing by clamps. Bar clamps are one type of clamp used.

13. Basic Construction Project Tips
2. Metal Projects
a. Steel is the most commonly used metal in agricultural mechanics. There is at least 4 kinds of steel.
b. Marking steel for cutting presents a special problem as pencil marks generally do not show up well.
c. Soapstone is a soft, gray rock that is cut into thin pieces resembling pencils. Soapstone shows up well on most metals.
d. The hand tool most often used for cutting metal is the hacksaw. Hacksaws are especially useful for cutting thin conduit.
e. Metal cutting band saws and power hacksaws may be used for large projects.