Things You Need To Know
Introduction
A major concern of all pottery students is the fundamental question of studio safety. No one knowingly wants to work in a potentially dangerous environment or expose other to uncertain materials. Ceramic materials, the forming process, and the subsequent glazing and firing processes are not in themselves inherently dangerous activities, but knowledge of the materials, and care in their use are essential factors in a safe work place. In any pottery making situation there are procedures that once known will produce a clean safe ceramics studio. The other areas students need to know about are the studio processes and procedures. It is important to read each section thoroughly. If you have any question about the information, please ask your teacher. Please sign the end of this document after you thoroughly read it, and return it to the instructor. We hope you have an enjoyable and safe ceramics experience.
Safety
The most often asked question about studio safety is, "what amount of clay or glaze dust in the air will cause a harmful effect on the human body?" The practical answer is to keep all work areas free from any airborne materials. It's not the clay or the liquid glaze floating around the studio that is potentially harmful. The nose and lungs filter most of these large particles. It's the micron size invisible particles that can get past our natural filtering mechanisms that can cause lung and respiratory irritation and possible damage. Again the best policy is to keep all levels of airborne material as low as possible. Following proper cleaning procedures in ceramics work areas and a common sense approach in handling dry materials will also be very effective in maintaining a safe environment.
A few potters have an allergic reaction to moist clay or liquid glazes when it contact their skin. Small bumps or irritation on the hands and forearms are noted after working with these materials. Applying hand lotion to the arms before working with moist clay or glazes will often eliminate a sensitive skin reaction. At times under the right condition mold can occur on moist clays (which can increase the clays plasticity). Mold can also grow in stored wet glaze containers
Potters can damage nerves in their hand from the repetitive motion of wedging clay or throwing pots. The best way to prevent this type of injury is to break up the work activities associated with making pots into small segments, minimize repetition, reduce speed, and rest your hands in all shop activities. Do not wedge several pounds of clay at once or sit at the potter's wheel making pots for hours on end. As a further example, throwing twelve pots on the wheel should not be followed by making another twelve, but by trimming pots that are leather hard or loading the bisque kiln for the next firing cycle. Working in clay is made up of a series of separate tasks to complete ceramic objects. Shifting one task to another avoids prolonged repetitive motion situation.
The following are some safety rules you have to comply with:
v Kiln room off limits to students. Please do not enter the room whether the kiln is on or off
v Read carefully all posted safety notices
v Do not eat or drink in the studio's working areas
v Do not ingest or inhale raw materials.
v Wipe down worktables with a wet sponge after project completion.
v Wash hands before leaving the studio.
v Clean eyeglasses before leaving the studio.
v Wear a separate set of clothes in the studio and clean your studio clothes frequently.
v Remove any materials from the floor that might cause an accident.
The Class
v Class duration is 8 weeks 2.5 hours each week and a max. of 10 students per class
v If you miss a class, you can make-up a class by attending a different class (if a seat available) or use the equivalent number of hours in our Open Studio time. Make up classes and open studio time can not be carried over behind the 8-week program duration and are not transferable to others.
v A student that sign up again for another 8-week program is entitled to 10 free open studio hours to be used during the 8-week program time frame.
v In a class where new and repeat student attend, the new students get the first priority in the first couple of sessions
v We run 8-week programs every 8-9 weeks. Some classes start filling up 2-3 weeks before they start. If intended to sign up for another 8-week program, please notify your instructor so that a seat be reserved for you.
v Please remember to take all your work with you at the last session. Items that are being fired are required to be picked up no later then two weeks from your last class. Due to the studio storage limitations, we do not keep finished or unfinished work longer then 2 weeks (Greenware will be recycled). If you have special circumstances, please request an extension.
v If you wish to complete your unfinished work and not interested signing up for an additional 8-week program, you can do so by bringing your work to our open studio blocks of time and pay the hourly published rates.
v Do not remove materials or tools from the studio with discussing with instructor.
v Class duration is 8 weeks 2.5 hours each week and a max. of 10 students per class.
v Use cell phone in the studio is prohibited - you are welcomed to use the studio's office for important phone calls
I have read and understand the above guidelines and agree to follow the them.
Student Name __________________________ Signature ___________________ Date ______________ (Rev 7/22/08)
