Where I work such an indecent would be marked down as a near miss, I would speak to the workshop health and safety rep who would see if there were any procedures that could prevent danger to me or my colleagues in the future.
It would be all about preventing harm not apportioning blame, if you do something stupid the only negative side is likely to be the leg pulling of your colleagues.
The Labs and the Office space is Audited regularly for safety as well as security you can find a little post it note on your screens if you leave your desk without locking your laptop or leaving you boots in the walkway, just a friendly reminder although some repeat offenders have come back to find they have emailed a resignation letter to their line manager if they leave their PC unlocked
Not a real one but as a reminder what can happen on an unlocked machine.
We receive training on everything and if you feel uncomfortable using a piece of equipment you are unfamiliar with you can ask for a tool box talk or formal training depending on the requirements for it's safe use. All PPE and tools are provided and you are audited periodically to ensure it's all up to date and safe to use.
Whenever I am working with someone else we can audit each other and check our risk assessments.
We have lone working alarms and a very defined process for disciplinary procedures and you are entitled to a mentor or union representative if you find yourself in that position.
You have to be pretty damn irresponsible though to go down that route.
I often hear Elf and Safety gone mad and it can feel that way a little sometimes. But 2 years ago a friend died falling off a ladder, he was only 2M off the ground and he broke the cardinal rules we wasn't wearing his harness and he didn't maintain 3 points of contact. Quite a price to pay for the 2 minutes it takes to put your harness on.
I don't think I would like working where you are Chris.
Cheers
Mike T