When I first started working in shops (I won’t mention how long ago), it was customary for each machine operator to have an air hose. They’d use it to blow chips and debris from workpieces, workholding devices, and anything else that needed chips cleared.
While they did the job of clearing chips nicely, they eventually became considered one of the more dangerous things in the shop. Hopefully your company has stopped using them.
The chips and debris blown away by an air hose can go anywhere. Even when an operator is wearing safety glasses to protect their eyes, there are other body parts chips can enter (ears, nose, mouth, etc.). And sharp chips can also pierce the skin. Countless operators have been injured.
And it’s not only the person operating the air hose that’s at risk. Anyone that happens by when the air hose is in use is at risk.
