Shop Safety Reminder-Warning Graphic

[aokweld101]

I have a saying........ Keep your hands away from moving parts..... And.... if your gonna be stupid you gotta be tough..

[jakab]

I had a table saw accident on Jan 2nd this year. Three finger tips damaged, bones chipped, 7 stitches, just now I'm getting better and can start using my hand again. Feeling on those three fingers is severely degraded with lots of hard scar tissue. Hand is stiff and can now, after 3 months, start to make a fist, but not much strength yet.

I got a SawStop in March, an excellent machine and I think well worth the price of a hand or a few fingers. If you buy now they have a special where you can get a mobile base or overarm dust collection for free.

I only wish I had bought it sooner.

[RogerB]

Hate to say it but it hurts like hell. just did my thumb with stacked blades. Used all 8 blades on 1 thumb. Just nicked it so did not loose anything. Dam close call.

[mikemi]

I bought a new tablesaw last November and now I wish I had waited. I really like the idea of no blade damage if you happen to not concentrate for that split second. I am still very happy with my saw, especially after I set up a router lift on the extension part of it. Space saver in the shop.

Mike

[Mike58]

In my years working in fleet maintenance at Waste Management we had weekly safety meets that covered a multitude of things relating to our work environment and also added was a section about "taking it home".


I must tell you, the material made me think about a lot of POSSIBLE things that could go wrong while on the job, while at home. Cutting with a knife - if the knife suddenly cuts thru is it going to hit me. I could go on and on but you get the idea. One of the things it sparked was a thing between my wife and I in the kitchen. Our refrigerator is across from the stove. So, you are cooking and have to turn around and pull the door open and back up as you open it. Well there on the stove is a (or more) handle sticking out from a skillet that's got something frying in it. How many times I would come through and turn the handles around instead of sticking straight out. I'd get a "look" about every time but I didn't really say why I did it.

Once it seems she had enough and said something about it to me. I realized that I had never told HER why I did it, and frankly that was partly why I had to keep doing it myself. She took it to be meddling in her business I guess. I told her that I wasn't doing it to be a dick to her or about her. I said I am doing it because I love you, and I don't want you to get hurt. You see the handle sticking out? You are standing in front of the refrigerator - and have to turn around to open the door, and then you step back or to the side slightly as you do. There is the handle sticking out for you to back into and knock the hot skillet off the stove and down you backside. I don't want you to do that. I am trying to protect you! Then I think it hit home and she understood my motives.

The point being the safety training was making me become AWARE of what might could go wrong or hurt me. It started me thinking before I did things and try to work and do things in a safer manner so I didn't get hurt. That is the first line of defense IMO - being aware and thinking what can go wrong. What can happen? I am very fortunate that I have done a lot of things that I could have been hurt or injured badly. Yet I have a very good record of minimum injuries over the years due to that awareness I think. Look at your work area and see what you can do to make it safer. Cords stretched across the floor, air hoses, junk scattered on the floor, in walk ways are a accident waiting to happen. Worse I think than getting yourself hurt would be hurting someone you love because you were careless.

[mtylerfl]

...

I got a SawStop in March, an excellent machine and I think well worth the price of a hand or a few fingers. If you buy now they have a special where you can get a mobile base or overarm dust collection for free.

I only wish I had bought it sooner.

Good for you. I have a SawStop also and it's a precision piece of equipment...great investment both from the safety standpoint and for superb quality. You CAN have your cake and eat it too.

[NLAlston]

My one and only accident (thank God) was when I first started in a wood shop. I, foolishly, attempted to remove a piece of cut wood from near a spinning tablesaw blade. I remember thinking that it didn't seem to be THAT close - but I was wrong. My left index finger was zinged just above the bone, right above the mid knuckle. Foolish indeed, and something I've learned NEVER to do again. That was a good 40, or so, years ago.

For the past 20 years I have been running a 3hp Delta Unisaw, and half of that time has been without saw guard/splitter. I had begun to get into some operations which could be performed with those devices installed, so I just left them off. Now, I wish I knew what I did with them. If I did, I would reinstall them. I also wish that I could afford the SawStop. I don't plan on having an accident (no sane person does), but - as already mentioned by another - all it takes is a momentary lapse of focus.

Maybe ONE day