POSTURE 姿勢 The last safety concern in this section is improper body alignment, which can lead to repetitive motion injuries. This category is often overlooked and underestimated in its impact on an artist's career, yet back health is an ongoing concern for many potters. Years ago, I actually developed chronic back pain from poor posture and harmful studio practices. After many trips to chiropractors, massage therapists, and other medical professionals, I decided to change the way I interacted with the wheel. このセクションの最後の安全上の懸念は、反復運動障害を引き起こしかねない不適切な身体のアライメント（この場合なんだろ？置き具合？使い方？）です。 この問題は、アーティストとしてのキャリアへの影響が見過ごされたり過小評価されたりしがちですが、多くの陶芸家にとって背中の健康は継続的懸念事項です（要は背中も腰もずっと痛い）。数年前、実際に私は姿勢は悪いわスタジオは有害だわといった習慣から慢性の腰痛を発症しました。カイロプラクター、マッサージセラピスト、その他の医療専門家を何度も尋ねた後、私はロクロとのやり取りの方法を変えることにしました（つまりポジショニングをいじくった）。
My first change was to elevate my wheel upright on cinder blocks so that my spine was straight during the act of throwing. To determine the ideal height of the wheel for you, sit comfortably in a chair that you would use for throwing.The sitting surface of the chair should be high enough that your knees are parallel to, or slightly below, your hips. Sitting with a straight back, bend your arms at a 90 degree angle and let them rest by your sides. The surface of your wheel should be about one inch below your forearms. This wheel height will allow you to use your hands in front of your torso without curving your back. If you must bend forward, bend from the hips and not the curve of your back. I have also seen potters throw stand-ing up with their back against a wall to encourage a more upright posture.
As you sit at the wheel you'll continually focus your attention and body posture forward.Over time, the pectoral and abdominal muscles tighten, causing you to lean slightly forward even if you are standing straight. This can be the start of many lower back issues. To correct the misalignment of your frame, you need to consciously work the muscles that reverse this process. Stretching abdominals in conjunction with strengthening lower and upper back muscles will bring your torso alignment back to a natural position. Below, you will see exercises that are geared toward strengthening the back while encouraging upright posture.I encourage you to participate in a weekly yoga or Pilates class to develop the core strength needed for a successful studio practice.
Another area that can be problematic is the neck and trapezius muscles. In the process of wheel work,you often spend a lot of time looking down. This can cause neck and upper back strain, making for a painful work day. To keep this problem to a minimum,I counter the time spent looking down at the wheel with other tasks that keep my head up. For my decoration process, I sit at a table with my elbows resting on the tabletop. When painting or carving, I raise the piece on an elevated banding wheel so that the center of the piece rests at the middle of my torso.This allows me to focus on the piece without looking down. Another general rule I follow is to stand up for about three minutes for every twenty-minute inter-val. I try to do this no matter what I am doing. By returning to a standing position, I allow my body to realign before going back to the task at hand.
Along with back health, you should also consider the role your hands play in the forming process.The hardness of clay you use will affect the amount of force needed to shape a form. During an early production pottery job, I was taught to use stiff clay as a short cut to throwing taller. This can be helpful at times, but it required that I use more force in my wrist and arms. After only a few years, I started to develop carpal tunnel syndrome. Thankfully chiropractic care realigned the bones in my wrist, but it was a wake up call for my wrist health. I now use the softest clay possible to throw. With proper wheel control and clay plasticity, you will be able to create any form you wish with minimal body stress. At times I use a heat gun or blowtorch to selectively dry a portion of the pot to achieve the curves necessary on a large form.I prefer this pain-free method of selective drying as opposed to using stiff clay.
To develop a successful ceramic practice, you must cultivate a flow of body movements suited to the creation of the objects you are interested in making. Creating a beautiful pot is only partially a success if you're damaging your body in the process. Mastering the potter's wheel does not have to come at the expense of your body. 作陶の成功を積み重ねるため、あなたは作りたいと惹かれたオブジェクトを創造するべく適した体の動きの流れを養わなければなりません。もしその過程で体にダメージを与えているようであれば、美しい器の制作はまだ途上にすぎません。ろくろを習得するのに体の犠牲など必要ないのです。
Another studio safety concern is the handling of toxic materials. I have already discussed methods for mitigating airborne particles, so I now want to focus on soluble materials. Because this class of contaminants will dissolve in water, they can be absorbed through your skin. The majority of soluble toxic materials are found in glaze labs where they are used as colorants or fluxes. As the focus of this book is wheel throwing, I will not spend a lot of time on this subject, but I want to high light a few particularly toxic materials. For a complete explanation of toxicity with glaze materials, I recommend you read John Britt's 『The Complete Guide to Mid-Range Glazes』.
工房内での安全性に関するもう1つの懸念が、有毒物質の取り扱いです。空気中の粉塵を軽減する方法については説明済みですから、可溶性物質に焦点を当てたいと思います。このクラス（性質？）の汚染物質は水に溶けますから、皮膚から吸収されえます。可溶性の有毒物質の大部分は、着色剤や媒溶剤として使用されるので、釉薬室にあります。この本はロクロの教本なので、このテーマに多くページを割くことはしませんが、私はいくつかの特に有毒な材料を強調したいと思います。釉薬材料の毒性の完全な説明については、John Brittの 『The Mid Guide to Mid-Range Glazes』を読むことをお勧めします。（訳者注:気になって記事のネタ用にこの本も入手しました、次に停電でもしたら取り上げますね。オレえらい！、なお著者のジョンブリットさんですが、調べてみたらしばらく前にMTBで派手にクラッシュして大怪我したそうで杖ついたりの怪我写真とや潰れたヘルメットの写真が・・・、今後の仕事に別条はないようで安心しましたが、他人ごとではないっすな。安全に行こうぜ）
There are some ceramic materials that you must be aware of at all times if they are in your studio.Think about them like hyperactive teenagers that might bring you happiness but can easily get out of control if you are not paying attention. Materials in this category include chrome, manganese, copper,vanadium, and other soluble heavy-metal colorants.These materials should be kept in a hard plastic container to reduce spillage and unwanted contamination. The only material in this category that you are likely to come into contact with on the wheel is manganese. Many black clays have a percentage of manganese to help them achieve their rich colors. If you choose to use these clays, I recommend wearing plastic gloves when you are forming the clay. I also recommend you take special care when firing to insure no fumes from the kiln enter your studio air supply. A kiln-venting system that exhausts fumes outside your studio is recommended if you plan to use these on a regular basis.
There are other ceramic materials that I recommend you avoid all together unless absolutely necessary lead, uranium, barium, cadmium, and coloring sulfates are in this category. While these do vary in toxicity, the main reason I recommend avoiding them is that ceramic technology has provided us acceptable substitutes. The toxicity risk is not worth the reward.
For up-to-date substitutions for toxic materials, you can visit www.digitalfire.com.
Studio Safety 工房、作業場での安全について When thinking about safety in the studio, remember the saying “pay now or pay later”. There is a cause and effect relationship between our present actions and our future selves. Cutting safety measures might seem like a time saver when you are rushing around in your studio, but those actions have a long-term cost on your body and your future comfort. Your body is your greatest tool, so protect it and enjoy a happy and healthy studio life for years to come. The goal of this section is to build a foundation of healthy ideas and methods that will support your future quality of life in and out of the studio. 工房内での安全性について考えるなら「今すぐ支払うか、後で払うか」という言葉を思い出してください（訳注）。 現在の自分自身の行動と将来の自分自身の姿には、因果関係があるのです。 工房で忙しく駆けずり回っていると、安全対策を手抜きすれば時間の節約になると思いがちですが、そうしてはあなたの体と将来の快適な生活に長い間負担を残すでしょう。 身体はあなたの最大の道具です。それを守り、今後何年も幸せで健康的な作陶生活を楽しみましょう。 このセクションの目標は、工房内外であなたの将来の生活の質をサポートするため健全なアイデアと方法の基盤を構築することです。
訳注：そんなことわざがあるんでしょうか？今やっとかないと後で高くつくぞって意味ですよね
MITIGATING/SILICA DUST 珪酸質粉塵を緩和せよ！（クライヴカッスラー風に景気よくしてみました） 訳注：シリカはSiO2 Your first studio safety concern is mitigating silica dust and other lung irritants. As a core component of both clay bodies and glaze, silica is present in all stages of the ceramic process. While it is harmless to the touch, it can be progressively harmful once it enters your lungs. Prolonged exposure to silica-dust is linked to an emphysema-like condition known as silicosis. スタジオで最初に考えるべきは、シリカダスト（粉塵）やその他の肺刺激物を緩和することです。 粘土と釉薬、両方の主要成分として、シリカはセラミックプロセスのすべての段階に存在します。 触っても無害ですが、肺に入ると徐々に有害になる可能性があります。シリカダストへの長時間の曝露は、珪肺症という肺気腫の症状に関連します。 When working in your studio, you might create a small cloud of dust when moving clay bags or mixing glazes. Your instinct tells you to back away from the cloud until it dissipates. While this is generally a good idea, it also points to a misconception about dust. The most harmful particles of silica and other lung irritants are not the ones you see but the ones that are invisible to the naked eye.Because of their microscopic nature, these particles can easily float in the air of your studio for a few hours or even days. To maintain a safe, dust-free studio, it is important to establish best practices for mitigating dust.
The cardinal rule of clay safety, no matter what studio you're in, is to avoid sweeping or moving dry-clay particles. The best way to move clay particles is to hydrate them or contain them in a closed, air tight container. Mopping is both more efficient and safer than sweeping because the water binds the clay particles, keeping them from becoming airborne. If you need to wipe down the surfaces of your wheel or studio counters, do so with a wet sponge instead of a dry rag. The less silica you allow into the air, the less potential it has for entering your lungs.
粘土を安全に扱う基本的なルールは、工房内で乾燥した粘土の粒子を掃いたりいじくったりしないことです。 粘土の（乾燥）粉末を移動する最良の方法は、粘土粒子を水和（湿らせて）させるか、密閉容器に入れることです。 濡れモップ掛けは、水が粘土粒子と結合するので、空中に浮遊しないようにするためには、（箒で）掃くより効率的だし安全です。 ロクロや作業台の表面を拭く必要がある場合は、乾いた布ではなく湿ったスポンジで拭きましょう。 空気中に舞うシリカが少ないほど、肺に入る可能性は低くなります。 One common practice that will lift dust into the air is the collection of dry trim scraps. It is easy to mistake these chunks of clay as large enough to not be dangerous. The unfortunate reality is that every time you touch trim scraps, you are breaking off smaller pieces, which can then become airborne. The best practice is to collect scraps when they are leather hard and are less likely to break down into airborne particles. As the clay particles dry, they become a hazard, so if you must collect dry scraps,push them into a bucket partially filled with water using a wet cloth. ほこりを空気中に舞い上げる一般的な理由の1つは、乾燥した削りカスを集めることです。 これらの粘土の塊（削りカスサイズ）を、危険ではない大きさであると間違えるのは簡単です。が、残念なことに、削りカスに触れるたびに、微細に破片が折れ崩れ、それが空中に飛ぶ可能性があります。 ベストな方法は、まだ乾ききらない、空中に舞う粒子サイズに分解されにくいうちに削りカスを集めてしまうことです。粘土粒子が乾くと、危険になります。 ですから乾いたカスを収集する必要がある場合は、濡れ布で水をためたバケツにそれらを押し込みましょう。
A particulate respirator can be used to safeguard your lungs during any activity that requires contact with dry clay particles. This includes studio cleaning,glaze preparation, and clay mixing. Cheap disposable respirators can be purchased from your hardware-store, but I suggest you invest in an industrial respirator with replaceable cartridges. For maximum safety,buy an N95 respirator, which is available from hardware stores or your local clay supplier. 微粒子レスピレーター（防塵マスク）は、乾燥した粘土粒子と必然的に接触する作業中に肺を保護するために着用できます。 この作業には、作業場の清掃、釉薬の準備調合、粘土の混合が含まれます。 ホムセンや金物屋で安価な使い捨てマスクを購入できますが、交換可能なカートリッジを備えた産業用防塵マスクに投資することをお勧めします。 最大限の安全を確保するために、N95マスクを購入してください。N95マスクは、できのいいホムセン、金物屋、道具屋または地元の陶芸材料店から入手できます。 訳者注：N95ってのは何か公的な基準だったはず。カラス天狗っぽい花粉症マスクみたいなあれです。確か5枚で1000円ぐらい？とちょっと高いですけど素人でも普通に買えますよ（アマゾン、ドラッグストア、職人レベルの金物屋、工具屋等）。産業用カートリッジ式防塵マスクもしみじみした金物屋なら試して買えます。
日本の陶芸材料店で買えるかどうかはわかりません。気にしたことないです。しっかりしたところなら売れてるかどうかは別にして置いてるはず！と信じます If you are embarking on a professional career in clay, I recommend you purchase an air filtration system that is rated for silica. The upfront cost of this purchase might seem steep, but you will save more money on health care costs in the long run.This brings up a general principle that I apply to studio safety: invest time and money into your health now to save money on lost work time and medical costs in the future. Your body is your great-est tool,so maintain it like you would a luxury car. Five minutes of daily maintenance can be easily built into your studio life, creating health rewards that will last a lifetime.
