Posted by Kenneth Deighton on 28/06/2019 20:08:56:
I have just been told that it is illegal for a person under the age of 16 to use a lathe, is this true or some one winding me up, ?.
Ken
In industry that's been true for nearly a 100 years. The Employment of Young Persons, Women and Children Act, 1922, starts with:
Be it therefore enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows : 1.-(1) No child shall be employed in any industrial undertaking. (In England a child is under 16 years of age.)
There's a big difference between employment and training though. In private use and education I'm not aware of any specific restrictions forbidding access to lathes. However, 'Duty of Care' is strong in English Law, and life could get very uncomfortable for anyone found responsible for allowing a child to be injured by any machine tool.
Very often H&S is quoted as a reason for not allowing adventurous activities. Rollocks! H&S rarely bans anything, rather it insists that professional care be taken in hazardous situations. As this can be onerous, especially if it goes wrong, many organisations prefer not to get involved : it's easier to say no than to agree. Nonetheless, put a bit of effort in and you can race motorbikes, fly, bungee jump, make fireworks, scuba dive, go caving, and keep irritable tigers.
I don't imagine any problem with allowing a child to use a lathe provided you can show the risks were considered and reasonable precautions taken. Just don't behave like the fool who allows children to play with a chain-saw!
Dave