# What safety gear/equipment do you have in your shop?



## Nighthawk (Dec 13, 2011)

Other than the normal, eye wear, ear muffs and masks etc. What other safety gear/equipment do you have in your shop?

I am just curious what every one else has?

I have a first aid kit (which I believe every workshop should have) and a much larger first aid kit in the house. he most important thing here is if you use it then you need to replace what you use to keep it stocked.

I also have couple fire extinguishers and will also be puting in smoke detectors connected to the upstairs alarm. (luckily I know an Installer guy how can get me some gear…  (free is good)


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## Gshepherd (May 16, 2012)

I keep several first aid kits, 3 fire extinguishers, cell phone handy, super glue. Been cut pretty bad several times grinding knives and been cut pretty deep deburring them. Super glue has stopped the bleeding. Several of those shake up ice packs. 2 German Shepherds. Shop is somewhat remote area and sometimes I will work all night with the doors open and get a few surprises once in a while but not before I hear the twins barking though.


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## Nighthawk (Dec 13, 2011)

Super glue… I like that, I will have to put that on my things to get… (I have used supper glue before for cuts)


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

I keep a registered nurse in the house. I also have a few fire extinguishers hanging around


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## tenontim (Feb 24, 2008)

Big can of common sense.


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## OggieOglethorpe (Aug 15, 2012)

Fire extinguishers, first aid kits (a simple band-aid & sliver kit, plus an industrial kit), monitored fire / smoke alarms, a land line phone, and a SawStop.

I also inspect and/or test the equipment on a regular basis. Since there is no cell service in my basement or the first floor, the land line with enhanced 911 is more important than it may be in other situations.


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## 8iowa (Feb 7, 2008)

Last year the addition of a Panasonic 6.0 wireless phone system plus their range extender has now given me a telephone in the "Workshop in the Woods", which is 110 yards from the house. In addition, I have a Radio Shack intercom with receivers in four rooms in the house. It transmits thru the electrical wiring.

I have a fire extinguisher on the wall next to the entrance/exit. a first aid kit is on a shelf in the bathroom. The workshop walls and ceiling are painted white, and a mixture of fluorescent and incandescent lights gives me a very well lit room. Lighting is definitely a safety consideration.

The saw guard is always in place. In addition to a dust collector for the main tools, I have a Fein vac that attaches to my 1/4 pad sander. An air cleaner on the ceiling takes care of the small microns of dust.

Thanks to the shooting sports, giving us excellent choices of hearing protectors, there is no excuse for not having this necessary hearing health item. I have Howard Leight electronic hearing protectors that allow normal conversation, and clamp out noises over 82 dBA.


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## ssnvet (Jan 10, 2012)

fire extinguisher
eye wash bottle
rubber gloves
lab goggles
respirator
dust mask
first aide box with big guaze pads
extra ear muffs and safety glasses for my occasional "helper/spectators" 
mechanics gloves


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## DeputyDawg (Jul 18, 2007)

Signs on or near every power tool that says "Be Safe Think Twice"


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## TorqNut (Apr 29, 2012)

Full face shield
Hearing protectors (both insertable and muff style)
Half-mask respirator
Rubber gloves (chemical resistant)
First Aid Kit
Fire extinguisher


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## Nighthawk (Dec 13, 2011)

I use the murphys law theory…

If I haven't got it I will be damned sure I will need it to use it… but if I have it, it will never be used… 

Some good ideas… super glue, eye wash etc, little things people tend to forget about.


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## ssnvet (Jan 10, 2012)

The eye wash bottles at work have expiration dates on them, and get thrown out and replaced… I'm really into recycling ;^)


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## DrTebi (Jun 16, 2009)

Besides the normal protection gear, I also keep a fire extinguisher handy. I have a first aid kit upstairs, but it is probably out of date or not complete. I should get a new one for the shop, thank you for reminding me…

The "Be Safe Think Twice" philosophy that DeputyDawg mentioned is also my first line of defense. Having bought a sawstop saw also helps, although I sometimes wish they would emphasize the fact that they also make great saws apart from the brake mechanism (their website looks like a horror movie poster). However, there are so many other dangerous tools; the other day I hurt myself sanding a door with sandpaper-a splint stuck out and went right through my finger, in and out. Thankfully it was not as bad as it seemed and all is perfectly fine now.

I think dust and fumes are what most people often neglect, as these will not have any immediate effect. If I read MSDS sheets or just look at how much dust is in the air when a strong light source like sunshine lights my shop, I often realize that I should be wearing dust or organic vapor protecting almost all the time… but then again, it's hard to resist smelling fresh cut wood like ebony!


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## Nighthawk (Dec 13, 2011)

I wear dust mask *especially *if cutting MDF or partical board because of the glue and chemicals that bined it… But yes most people forget about dust and fumes…


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## Razorbak91313 (Feb 28, 2011)

For me, one of my best safety tools is my imagination. It might sound weird or even gruesome, but I sometimes just sit in the shop and look at some of the tools (especially power tools) and think, what could go wrong and how wrong could it go. I try to visualize different scenarios of what could happen if the piece jerked in my hands while cutting or a piece slintered off and got shot out by the blade or any number of scenarios. Once I think of the things that can go wrong I then try to think about ways to work and handle the piece to keep it from going wrong.


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## IsaacH (Aug 29, 2012)

Safety glasses and face shield for turning and, just safey glasses for everything else. Well I do use a respirator for turning dry wood or sanding.

All guards in place

GFCI circuits (with all my ground prongs intact for all cords requiring them)

Fire extinguisher mounted to door.


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## MJCD (Nov 28, 2011)

I'll own-up to having most everything mentioned. The next is HEPA dust collection; and more generally, consistency of use. Also, I ensure that I'm always two electrical switches away from turning on power equipment - especially something that has an exposed rotating blade (Miter Saw, Table Saw, Router). When I'm changing blades, I turn both switches off.

The fine dust particles (<1m) will quickly transit through non-HEPA filters; however, HEPA filters clog quickly without a pre-filter. For both my main DC and shop vac systems, I have the Oneida Dust Deputy as the pre-filter (works great) and the Wynn Environmental HEPA (main DC) and a 5.0 micron pre-filter on my Fein HEPA.

Consistency of use is ensuring you wear the dust mask …

MJCD


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## mbs (May 8, 2010)

I have ear muffs with built in am/fm radio which I like.


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## runswithscissors (Nov 8, 2012)

A filthy rag to stanch the bleeding.


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## paratrooper34 (Apr 27, 2010)

Fire Extinguisher, Advanced first aid kit (contains sutures, lydocaine, needle, hemostats, a bunch of different bandages, bandages with blood clotting agent, etc). Serious chemical resistant gloves (the ones the military uses for protection against chem and bio weapons). I have to wear glasses for close in work, so I always have my glasses on and they are safety rated. No tools to make noise, so no hearing protection.

I used to own a boat and that is the first aid kit I had for it. Truth be told, it is serious overkill for my hand tool shop. But you never know I guess. The worst damage I have ever done was a nick on my finger from a chisel. Eye wash is a great idea, I need one of those.


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## yrob (May 26, 2008)

cell phone, extinguisher, first aid kit, usual power tools safety items like earmuffs, push sticks and the like.


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## lab7654 (Mar 31, 2012)

I'm probably not as safe as I should be… I usually only wear glasses when I'm on the jointer, router, miter saw and tablesaw. I use hearing protection on most things other than the miter and bandsaw, but mainly just to get rid of the noise intimidation factor so I can focus on my cut. I feel what I lack in those areas I make up for in being thorough… I usually run the board along the fence of a tool in a sort of dry run to get a feel for the cut before I begin it, and to see if there are any faults in my finger placement.

The reason I usually neglect the safety glasses is because I like to keep my pencil/pen in my ear, and the glasses get in the way. I plan on picking up a shop apron to keep everything handy, so hopefully I'll improve on that.


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## Biff (Nov 19, 2012)

A .45 pistol. Seriously. I live out in the sticks and I don't like being surprised!

Other than that, several fire extinguishers, landline, first aid kit, Splinter-Out's plus the requisite safety glasses scattered about, faceshields, dust masks, etc. I figure if I just keep buying safetly glasses and putting them all over the shop then I don't have an excuse to not put a pair on everytime I run a machine.


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