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Cut It Right

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jtoomey

Tier 1
For Schools

Lesson Plan

Cut It Right Lesson Plan

Students will learn and apply essential safety policies and best practices for using a power shear to cut metal plate, including hazard identification, proper PPE selection, and correct operating procedures.

Proper training on power shear use prevents serious shop injuries, fosters responsible tool handling, and builds student confidence in the metal fabrication environment.

Audience

10th Grade Metal Fabrication Students

Time

45 minutes

Approach

Quiz, slides, discussion, and live demo.

Materials

  • Cut It Right Safety Slide Deck, * Power Shear Safety Quiz Worksheet, * Whiteboard and Markers, * Power Shear Equipment (Demo Unit), and * Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Sets

Prep

Prepare Materials

10 minutes

  • Print enough Power Shear Safety Quiz Worksheet for each student
  • Load the Cut It Right Safety Slide Deck onto the classroom computer and test projector
  • Set up the power shear demo area, ensuring machine is unplugged until demonstration
  • Gather and inspect PPE sets (gloves, goggles, ear protection) for student use
  • Review all safety policies and familiarize yourself with slide content

Step 1

Warm-Up Exercise

5 minutes

  • Distribute Power Shear Safety Quiz Worksheet
  • Students complete a 5-question matching activity on key safety terms
  • Pair stronger readers with peers who need support; read questions aloud as needed
  • Challenge advanced learners to draft one additional safety rule on the back of their worksheets

Step 2

Introduction and Objective Overview

5 minutes

  • Gather students near the power shear area and review shop behavior expectations
  • State lesson objective: Understand and apply power shear safety policies and procedures
  • Connect today’s topic to prior shop safety lessons and real-world shop scenarios

Step 3

Slide Deck Presentation

15 minutes

  • Project the Cut It Right Safety Slide Deck
  • Cover PPE requirements, machine safeguards, proper body position, and emergency stop procedures
  • Pause after each section for quick comprehension checks and thumbs-up/thumbs-down responses
  • Provide printed slide summaries to students needing visual reinforcement

Step 4

Guided Discussion

10 minutes

  • Facilitate think-pair-share: Have students discuss times they observed safe or unsafe shear use
  • Record best practices and common risks on the whiteboard
  • Prompt quieter students by calling on volunteers; offer sentence starters if needed
  • Clarify any misconceptions and highlight correct procedures

Step 5

Demonstration and Hands-On Check

5 minutes

  • Demonstrate proper machine setup, PPE donning, and safe cutting technique on the power shear
  • Invite 2-3 volunteers to don PPE and simulate the safe position (no cutting) for feedback
  • Provide corrective coaching and praise correct hand placement and posture

Step 6

Wrap-Up and Assessment

5 minutes

  • Recap the three most critical safety rules for power shear operation
  • Ask each student to share one takeaway or safety tip aloud
  • Collect worksheets to assess understanding and identify students needing follow-up support
  • Remind students that safe practices apply to all shop equipment
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Slide Deck

Cut It Right: Power Shear Safety

• Essential policies and procedures for safe metal cutting
• Preventing injuries in the shop
• Building confidence and responsibility

Welcome students and introduce the lesson. State objective: By the end of this session, students will understand and apply power shear safety policies and best practices. Relate to everyday shop work.

Why Safety Matters

• Power shears can cause serious cuts and crush injuries
• Proper precautions prevent downtime and medical visits
• A culture of safety supports teamwork and quality work

Explain why safety matters: share a brief story or statistic about shop accidents. Emphasize that following rules keeps everyone safe and protects equipment.

Required Personal Protective Equipment

  • Safety goggles or face shield
  • Cut-resistant gloves
  • Hearing protection (earmuffs or plugs)
  • Steel-toed boots
  • No loose sleeves, jewelry, or long hair

Show actual PPE sets if available. Pass around goggles and gloves for fit check. Reinforce that gear must be worn at all times near the machine.

Machine Safeguards

  • Fixed blade guard covering the cutting edge
  • Foot pedal shield to prevent accidental activation
  • Easily accessible emergency stop button
  • Interlock switches on access panels

Point out each safeguard on the demo shear: blade guard, foot pedal cover, emergency stop. Stress never to remove or bypass guards.

Proper Body Positioning

  • Stand with feet shoulder-width apart
  • Keep hands outside the blade path
  • Position yourself to the side of the cutting line
  • Never reach beneath or behind moving parts

Use chalk or diagram to show correct stance. Demonstrate safe hand placement away from blade. Highlight the importance of balanced footing.

Operating Procedures

  1. Inspect machine and verify guards are in place
  2. Don all required PPE
  3. Measure and mark metal plate
  4. Clamp plate securely against back gauge
  5. Use foot pedal deliberately and keep hands clear
  6. Wait for blade to stop fully before removing cut piece

Walk through each step slowly as you list them. Invite a volunteer to recite steps back to you. Clarify questions on plate clamping and foot pedal use.

Emergency Stop & Shutdown

  • Identify and test the red E-STOP button
  • Immediately press to halt blade movement
  • Power off machine at main switch
  • Notify instructor or supervisor of any faults

Demonstrate pressing the emergency stop. Explain reporting process for malfunctions. Remind students that safety overrides speed or deadlines.

Key Takeaways

  1. Always wear the correct PPE
  2. Never bypass machine guards or reach into danger zones
  3. Know and use the emergency stop

Recap the top three rules: wear PPE, guard and position correctly, know your emergency stop. Ask students for thumbs-up if they understand each rule.

Questions & Next Steps

• Any clarifications before we demo?
• Hands-on fitting of PPE
• Volunteer station for posture-and-guard check

Invite final questions and transition to the demo and hands-on check. Remind students that practice makes habits and encourage cautious technique.

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Discussion

Shear Safety Talk

Objective: Students will articulate real‐world safety observations, analyze risk scenarios, and co‐construct best practices for safe power shear operation.

Discussion Format (10 minutes)

  1. Think (2 min): Individually consider a time you saw safe or unsafe use of a metal shear.
  2. Pair (3 min): Share your example with a partner.
  3. Share (5 min): We’ll compile key ideas as a group on the whiteboard.

Discussion Prompts

1. Real‐Life Observations

  • What did you notice about how the operator positioned their body and hands?
  • How did their actions either reduce or increase risk?






Follow-Up: What could they have done differently to stay safer?

2. Hazard Identification

  • List three potential hazards you might encounter when using a power shear (e.g., blade contact, pinch points, flying scrap).






Follow-Up: Which hazard concerns you the most and why?

3. Best Practices Brainstorm

  • Based on Cut It Right Safety Slide Deck, what are your top two “must‐do” safety steps before cutting?






Follow-Up: How will you remind yourself to follow these steps every time?

4. Scenario Challenge

Read the scenario below and discuss with your partner:

You’re halfway through a cut and notice a small metal burr on the edge of the plate.
The next student in line is waiting to use the shear. What do you do?

  • Option A: Finish the cut quickly and clean burr later.
  • Option B: Stop, power down, remove scrap and burr, then resume.
  • Option C: Ask the next student to clean and remove the burr.











Follow-Up: Which option minimizes risk, and how does it align with our emergency stop and shutdown procedures?

Closure

  • Group Recap: Call on 3 students to share one insight or rule from today’s talk.
  • Connection: Remind everyone these best practices carry over to all shop tools—safety is a habit.
  • Next Steps: Apply these ideas during the hands‐on demonstration and record any new questions on the back of your Power Shear Safety Quiz Worksheet.
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Warm Up

Power Shear Safety Warm-Up

Match each definition (A–E) with the correct term (1–5). Write the letter on the line provided.

Definitions

A. Equipment worn to protect eyes, hands, and ears during cutting operations.


B. A button that immediately stops blade movement in an emergency.


C. The adjustable stop that holds the metal plate at the correct cutting position.


D. The cover or guard over the foot pedal to prevent accidental activation.


E. The physical barrier that shields the cutting blade and prevents contact.


Terms

  1. PPE ________


  2. Emergency Stop Button ________


  3. Back Gauge ________


  4. Foot Pedal Shield ________


  5. Blade Guard ________


Bonus (Optional): Write one additional power shear safety term and its definition below.





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