THE HAZARDS OF

DRILLING

Engr. Matthew John S. Sy

Step 1: Measure and Mark

Measure the location of the hole. If possible, mark exactly where the
hole needs to be drilled.

Choose the drill size appropriate to the material being drilled and the
tool being used. Use common sense.
Hazard

● If you’re picking up the drillbit barehanded or the

platform to be drilled at you might get cut. May lead to
Tetanus and then DEATH due to the infection.
● The marker used may emit mixtures of chemicals that
may be harmful to your health and cause acute
respiratory toxicity.
Control Measures

● Wear Gloves
● Use N90 mask
Step 2: Center Punch

A center punch makes a small dent in the surface of

the material that prevents the drill from wandering
when it first contacts the surface.
Hazard

● You might hit your hand when hammering the center

punch. This causes bleeding and tetanus that could lead
to DEATH.
Control Measures

● Wear Gloves
Step 3: Set Up

Align and clamp the material in place. As the drill pierces through the
opposite side of the material, it can grab and spin the work piece.
Hazard

● If you are holding the material by hand, injury can result. Be

especially careful of this when using a hand drill. If the drill bit
grabs, the entire tool can be ripped out of your hands.
Control Measures

● Wear Gloves
● C-clamps
Step 4: Drill

First, ensure that the drill is spinning the right direction and speed.

Again, use common sense or a handbook to determine the proper

speed.

For metals, cutting fluid can be helpful. Cutting fluid can be oil, water,
detergent, or a mixture of those three. It helps to lubricate the sliding
contact between the drill and the work piece, flush chips away from the
interface, and to cool the drill.
Control Measures

● Wear Gloves
● Use Clamps
● Put on safety glasses and ear protection as appropriate.
Let someone else know you are using power tools, if
working alone.
Hazard

As the drill pierces through the opposite side of the material, it can grab
and spin the work piece. If you are holding the material by hand, injury
can result. Be especially careful of this when using a hand drill. If the drill
bit grabs, the entire tool can be ripped out of your hands.

Scrap metals from the drilling process may fly out of hand and go into
your eye causing blindness and bleeding and tetanus causing death

The emitted drill sounds maybe too loud and cause deafness.
Step 5: Clean up the hole
If the edges of the hole are not to your satisfaction,
try a deburring tool to cut and smooth around the
edge of the hole. Multiple types of deburring tools
exist; the picture shows two hand tools with
differently shaped cutting bits and a tool used in a
drill.
Hazard

If you do not smoothen out the edges, the rough edges may cause cuts
and if unattended may cause Tetanus and then Death.

If no clamp is used, the metal may slip and hit a passing person in the
head causing a heavy head injury and may lead to a comatose.
Control Measures

● Wear Gloves
● Use Clamps
Step 6: Clean up
Vacuum or sweep up any mess, wipe off any cutting fluid, and put all
tools away.
Hazard

● A person who walks barefoot may be unaware of

the project and may step on the drill shreds and
scrap. It may cause cuts and Tetanus and if left
unattended DEATH.
● A person may slip from the lubricant used and hit
his/her head on the floor causing internal bleeding
and comatose.
Control Measures

● Use vacuum cleaner for the metal scraps

● Use a mop to clean the liquid waste on the floor
● Put a caution sign on newly wetted area.