Safety gear needed for metal drilling and riveting

Safety first, then swarf

Drilling a handful of holes in a steel bracket and setting a few blind rivets sounds like gentle work. Then a sliver of swarf flicks off the drill bit, lands on the back of your hand, and you remember that metalwork rarely plays nice. The reassuring part is that the hazards of drilling and riveting are well understood, and the gear that protects you costs very little and lasts for years. Spend ten minutes on your personal protection and your working habits before you start, and you can get on with the satisfying part of the job.

Eye protection: the one thing you never skip

Metal swarf leaves a drill bit at speed and travels further than most people expect. Blind rivet mandrels snap off with a sharp crack and can ping away unpredictably. Both are reasons to treat eye protection as non-negotiable, not optional.

• Safety glasses to EN 166 with side shields are the minimum for drilling and riveting. Buy a comfortable pair with an adjustable arm so you actually keep them on.
• Goggles seal better and are worth wearing when you are drilling overhead, working under a car, or clearing a drill press table.
• A full face shield worn over your glasses is sensible when you are using a large hole saw, a hammer drill in masonry, or when you are leaning close to the work.
• Keep spares. Scratched lenses hide small chips, and a spare pair in the drawer means you are never tempted to do "just one hole" unprotected.

If you wear prescription glasses, make sure your eye protection fits over them rather than fighting them. Neither pair is doing its job if you keep pushing it back up.

Gloves, hand care and the rotating-tool rule

Gloves are useful, but they are not a universal answer. Around a bench vice, when handling cut sheet, when sorting swarf or when you are picking up a freshly drilled bracket, a pair of close-fitting nitrile or cut-resistant gloves saves a lot of nicks. Loose-fitting gloves and a spinning drill chuck are a genuinely dangerous combination, because fabric can catch and drag your hand in. The rule is simple: wear gloves for handling, bare hands for operating hand-held power tools and drill presses. If you are worried about the heat and mess, use barrier cream or wash your hands afterwards.

• Take off rings, watches and bracelets before you start. A ring against a spinning chuck or a sharp edge is a nasty injury.
• Tie back long hair and roll up loose sleeves.
• Keep a small brush and a magnetic sweeper for clearing swarf. Never use a bare hand, and never blow swarf away with compressed air.
• Keep a first aid kit within reach, plus tweezers for splinters and a plaster supply that will actually stay on.

Protecting your lungs from dust and fumes

Drilling creates fine dust, and riveting rarely does — but the drilling stage more than makes up for it. Aluminium dust, cast iron, masonry, and the zinc coating on galvanised steel all produce particles you would rather not inhale. Fumes matter too: brazing or heating a rivet, or working with a lubricant that smokes, adds to the load.

• Use a disposable FFP2 or FFP3 respirator for dusty drilling, especially overhead or in a confined space. Fit matters more than the rating, so check the seal around your nose and cheeks.
• Ventilate. Open a door, use a fan to push air across the bench, or work outside when the job allows.
• Vacuum dust at the source if you can. A workshop vacuum with a fine filter beats sweeping it up later.
• Be especially careful with anything plated, painted or coated. Unknown coatings are best treated as a fume risk.

Hearing, skin and the small things that add up

Impact tools, air riveters and hammer drills are louder than they feel at the time. Hearing damage creeps up quietly, so if you have to raise your voice to talk to someone a metre away, you should be wearing protection. Disposable foam plugs are fine; over-ear muffs are quicker to put on and off.

• Wear ear defenders or plugs for repeated riveting, hammer drilling or any job that rings in your ears afterwards.
• Use an RCD on portable power tools, particularly in a garage or outdoors, and check leads for damage before plugging in.
• A leather apron and sturdy boots save your clothes and your toes from dropped workpieces and offcuts.
• Wash your hands before eating, and don't eat at the bench. Metal dust on a sandwich is a memorable lesson.

Working habits that keep you out of trouble

Gear only gets you so far — the setup does the rest. Clamp your work securely, in a vice or with clamps, so you are never holding a workpiece with one hand and drilling with the other. Use sharp bits, the right speed and a little cutting fluid, because a struggling drill is the one that snaps, grabs or throws swarf. Support the back of the workpiece when a bit breaks through, and be ready for the sudden lurch as it punches out. When riveting, check the rivet gun and mandrel collection point, keep fingers clear of the nose, and make sure the back of the joint is supported. Clear the bench at the end of each session, sweep the floor, and wipe down tools. A tidy workshop is not just pleasant; it is the cheapest safety measure you will ever install.