Housewright's Blog

In our daily lives as builders and remodelers, we use a wide variety of power tools; table saws, miter saws, circular saw, demolition hammers, the list goes on. As professionals, we pride ourselves on knowing how and when to use a tool correctly to achieve our desired result. An important part of properly using a tool is knowing how to use it safely; tool safety can extend the life of the tool, prevent serious injury, and prevent serious fines. Statistics says that there are almost 400,000 emergency room visits annually due to power tool injuries (1). As experienced professionals, it is our responsibility to educate ourselves on how to use safely the tools we employ in our trade and to make sure that those we work with also understand the importance of tool safety.

 Our mental state plays a significant part in tool safety. Did you get into an argument with your spouse this morning? Did morning traffic frustrate you? Did you stay out too late last night? A split second distraction or moment when your thoughts aren’t on the task at hand is all it takes for an injury. We need to be mentally focused on the tool we are using; I find that a routine helps me. For example, every time I pick my worm drive up I move the blade guard to make sure there is nothing stuck and I give the saw a quick visual inspection. This quick review promotes safety and allows me to ensure nobody has changed my saw settings.

 The two most basic power tool safety rules are probably also the two most overlooked: safety glasses and hearing protection. Every time we use a power tool, we should wear safety glasses and ear plugs or muffs. How many of us have had a close call with a chip flying out of a table saw or complained about the volume of the impact driver? Probably the majority of us. NIOSH states that the baseline decibel level to minimize occupational hearing loss is 85 dBA; miter saws average around 105 dBA, hammer drills average 112 dBA (2). Our eyes – a minor injury to the eye can be very painful and can lead to vision issues, and eye injuries are very common. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services approximate that there are 2.5 million eye injuries every year and that three of every five injured workers were not wearing eye protection or were wearing improper eye protection for the job (3).

 Another safety concern with power tool use is dust; repetitive exposure to sawdust (especially that of treated wood) can lead to health issues and so can the dust from cutting or grinding concrete or cementitious products. Setting up cutting stations outside can help to reduce the exposure to airborne dust but will not entirely prevent it – it is still advisable to wear a dust mask or even a respirator depending on the task. There are increasingly more options for job site air filtration and dust collection units that attach directly to power tools, but these options also do not eliminate the need for personal respiratory protection.

 The condition of the tool we are using also plays a significant role in power tool safety; worn out, broken tools are dangerous tools. Saws with missing, broken, or stuck blade guards nail guns without safety tips or with jammed triggers, frayed power cords – these all can lead to serious injury. At the start and the finish of every project I like to inspect the tools used on that project for safety issues and if necessary, I repair the tool or take it out of service if it is un-repairable. If a power tool becomes damaged in the middle of a project, I immediately remove the tool from use until it can be repaired.

 We rely on our power tools to do our job; these tools make us more efficient and productive. We have to rely on ourselves and our fellow tradespeople to use power tools safely – an injury will destroy efficiency, halt productivity, and could quite possibly change someone’s life forever. Tool safety is everyone’s responsibility; if you see a tool that needs to be repaired or unsafe tool usage speak up – a five-minute conversation about safe practices is much quicker than an Emergency Room visit.

Sources:

1. “The Most Dangerous Power Tools” Forbes.com, December 2009.

2. “Noise and Hearing Loss Prevention.” http://www.cdc.gov/niosh.  n.d.

3. “In the Blink of an Eye.” http://www.foh.hhs.gov. n.d.