Machinery Safety Questions

[Michael Simmond]

I am an FRC montor and sponsor who is in the process of setting up a robotics center in my community. The high school has no money left over for space, tools or materials after funding all their sports programs. Because of this, our rookie year has been pretty rough.

We will be leasing some industrial space and installing some donated machinery that will include drill press, metal band-saw, small lathe, and CNC retrofit knee-mill.

Can anyone in the FRC community provide or recommend suitable training material or a program so that our students can learn to operate these machines safely? Are there any well-accepted tests to certify that students are qualified to use a particular machine? Is there a specific type of insurance that is appropriate for this situation?

I want to insure the safety of our students as well as avoid personal liability for our volunteer mentors. Any help in showing us how to do this the right way would be greatly appreciated.

If anyone wishes to contact me privately concerning this, please use: simmonds@montana.net

Regards,
Michael Simmonds