# Woodworkers put low priority on safety



## 8iowa (Feb 7, 2008)

Safety is not a high level interest among woodworkers. We have hard evidence of that right here on this forum. There are 884 topics under "Woodworking tools, Hardware, and Accessories", and only 55 topics posted under "Safety in the Woodworking Shop". The magazine editors must realize this. When they do reviews of their advertiser's products they rate tools every which way, but safety is never mentioned. It looks as if the scene at the emergency rooms is not going to change.

Unless attitudes change, products will continue to be manufactured with safety as a lower priority, and with noise levels that accelerate hearing loss. Perhaps the "bright spot" is the fact that more and more woodworkers are interested in dust control systems.

Check out the safety videos on www.powertoolinstitute.com


----------



## GaryK (Jun 25, 2007)

That would be your opinion. There are just so many safety features, or methods and as new one are come
across they are posted. With "Woodworking tools, Hardware, and Accessories" there are hundreds of not thousands of existing or new products to post about. So I would think that "only 55" is a very high ratio.

Many posts are not posted as safety, but as ways to do things better and safer.

But that's just my opinion.


----------



## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

and don't forget that the safety section of the forums is relatively new.


----------



## North40 (Oct 17, 2007)

For months, every woodworking magazine I get has been talking about riving knives and European blade guards.


----------



## Woodchuck1957 (Feb 4, 2008)

Safety varies from person to person, I'm sure a good percentage of people don't read the owners manual. Then there are the people that are allways in a hurry and are careless. I think it's a unfair statement to say that woodworkers in general don't care about safety. If you want to point the blame somewhere, take a look at some of the home improvement shows that show homeowners that have very little, if any power tool experience, in a hurry trying to remodel a kitchen in a day. It's a reciepe for disaster and some really shotty work.


----------



## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

I don't know that there isn't a high level of interest in safety as opposed to a complacency about it at times. I believe that most are safety conscious but at times tend to take the more expedient path- much like not buckling your seat belt when in a hurry. Saws are run without riving knives and blade guards because it is easier to do so than to put them on and off when switching to dado operations. At times expediency trumps caution and accidents do occur- but they always happen to someone else, right?


----------



## TheCaver (Nov 21, 2007)

I think that you (the OP) has contorted the safety post ratio to support a theory without doing any due diligence on the subject.

I think that you'll find a similar ratio on any online forum that caters to a hobby or sport which endangers the participant. In particular, one which I used to engage in, vertical caving, with a much higher risk factor, the numbers were lower than this!

I think more than just armchair analysis is required before labeling this as some sort of legitimate statistic. I do however believe that a lot of woodworkers do it their way because it was the way they were taught, but this occurs in any type of human based meme.

JC


----------



## Chipncut (Aug 18, 2006)

If a person has no safety conscience, he's not going to read about anyway.

But don't stop writing about it, he may decide to look some day.

It's like they say about cars,*"Its the Nut Behind the Wheel"*


----------



## USCJeff (Apr 6, 2007)

I try to operate with the mindset that I'm scared to death of my tools. This tends to keep my mind on the dangers. I read an article on kickback once that was interesting. Most of those polled understood that kickback was a danger and knew that pawls and push sticks help solve the problem. However, very few actually understood what caused the danger. I find this alarming as the knowledge of why it happens is paramount to prevention.


----------



## dennis (Aug 3, 2006)

Sorry to jump and sound sour, but being involved professionally in many different aspects of construction. I've had my full share of "safety". A two week course as an apprentice in the union. A week long course with yearly 8 hour updates to work in oil refineries. A two week course of study to start a college level woodworking program. I've come across plenty of OSHA horror stories. I've got a bunch of 5 gal buckets with pictures of drowning babies…50 page legal documents telling me how to safely use a palm sander! Here is what I think needs to be done if we really care about safety.
A) Throw out the "Legal" warnings and place real ones on the packaging. Big red flammable tags are great! Being told I need to wear safety glasses to run a sander…bull!
B) Fix the tools on the manufactures end. If the guard on my saw breaks because it is a thin plastic I'll keep using it on the job..because that is how I survive. Next time you check out miter saws check out the differences in how thick the guard plastic is. Cheap saw…not always.
C) Construction sites are dangerous because we are always pushing for speed and to do it cheaper. Low bid! Until quality and integrity are true work place and commercial values safety will just be a "band aid" on an broken leg.


----------



## Boardman (Feb 7, 2008)

Just too much of a jump to somehow extrapolate the number of post on a single forum, to a reality that woodworkers are living life on the edge and going deaf in the process.

And I really don't appreciate the inference that I, or woodworkers in general, are somehow to blame for product features.

If anything, we live in a litigation-crazed society that has replaced personal responsibility with an attitude of "If anything happens to me I'm going to sue someone because it's not my fault no matter how ignorant or careless I am."


----------



## alien (Jan 27, 2008)

As far as saftey goes i've have notice on many DIY shows on TV as well as online,that no one uses the saftey shields that comes with their table saws or any type of aftermarket shield that many of us would be interested in using.I don't feel that we need to see the saw blade ripping a piece of lumber up close as they demonstrait. I was always taught from child hood and many indutrial settings Always keep the saftey shield in place. In fact when I was in my late teens working for a small company i cut the tip my right index finger on a table saw with no shield! I have been very agressive about having the shield in place ever since. I understand in some procedure in woodworking you have to remove the guard to complete the project, any other time the guard should be in place no matter how much of a hassle it is to take off and put back on!


----------



## brunob (Dec 26, 2006)

I've got to jump in here. I teach basic woodworking to primarily women and young people. I teach safety with every tool used as it is introduced.


----------



## boboswin (May 23, 2007)

eightIowa saisd.

*" When they do reviews of their advertiser's products they rate tools every which way, but safety is never mentioned. It looks as if the scene at the emergency rooms is not going to change.*
" 
I was taken by this statement.

Do you have hard evidence that the accidents reported to the emergency areas are in fact those related to professional woodworkers or is this more of a suposition?

I have searched several times around the internet for such information and I am unable to locate it.
For what ist's worth automobiles are the largest killers of people yet all that is required is a valid drivers license and you can buy or rent a Ferrari and drive it in traffic.

I agree with you in principal but I don't support they way you are drawing your conclusions.
I'm also not too happy being lumped in with you assesment of "woodworkers".

Bob


----------



## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

The fact that all my woodworking friends have all ten fingers and most can hear very well, I think is plenty of evidence that, at least my friends, do indeed think safety.


----------



## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

and the point of the post is: think safety. 
Good message.


----------



## saddlesore (Oct 17, 2007)

You know, Norm Abrams always starts out by saying the most improtant piece of safety equipment is safety glasses, but I've always disagreed with that. I think the most important safety equipment is between your ears. How many times have we caught ourselves (not just in woodworking), and asked ourselves if there is a better, safer way to accomplish a task?


----------



## motthunter (Dec 31, 2007)

many posts not in the safety area refer to safety. Safety is always on my mind.


----------



## SteveM (Dec 28, 2006)

Oooh. Good topic. I recently retired as a senior exec from the largest Engineering and Construction company based in the US. About 25 years ago, the company decided to make safety a distinctive. It took a while but for the past 10+ years it has earned the best safety record in its industry by a factor of 10. Every meeting, from the Board meetings to work crew gangbox meetings, starts with a safety topic. Everyone, and I mean everyone, knows that safety is paramount. As the saying goes, if you think safety costs too much, try pricing an accident. In my former company, its bad to lose money but career ending to have a poor safety record in your business line - whether its pharmaceuticals in the US or mining in remote areas of third world countries.

As some others have hinted I am very respectful, maybe even a little afraid, of my tools. As when I pilot my plane or dive in an ocean, I try to evaluate the risks and take all prudent safety precautions. Everyone can benefit from a focus on safety.


----------



## grumpycarp (Feb 23, 2008)

to dennis mitchell 
WORD UP! Here's your MSDS for 120 grit Mirka, 120G 3M, et al:

TomK said it "I think the most important safety equipment is between your ears."

SteveM - If you have nothing to hide then chime in with the name of your company. I think you're F>O>S>!. Fly your table saw above my head but be afraid of it in your garage. Typical.


----------



## SteveM (Dec 28, 2006)

Gee GrumpyCarp you don't have to live up to both parts of your name. The company is Fluor and the safety focus started in Daniel International which was acquired by Fluor in the 70's. If you'd like some documented facts, including OSHA reports, please send me a private email so we don't waste the time of others on this board. Or, look on the Fluor website. Anyone who doesn't give safety more than a passing thought when working with items that can cause significant bodily harm is just a future ER patient.


----------



## jcees (Dec 31, 2007)

TomK is right ON! I ask myself every time *before *I crank up a power tool one simple question,"Where are my fingers?" This simple question has saved me more times than I can recount. Therefore, most of my SNAFUs involve hand tools. Go figure. I also am in the habit of donning both safety glasses AND a particle mask as they both hang somewhere on the saw. *THINK *before operating anything that can mangle, maim or dismember me is my philosophy.

I believe that if you're lazy then eventually you'll reap what you sow and it probably won't be pretty. Anyway, safety has to be part of your regimen and planted squarely within the frontal lobes. No amount of "idiot proofing" devices will ever compensate for using your noggin.

Proof in point; a few months ago a neighbor of my in-laws was sporting a fresh wad of bandage on one of his thumbs. He proudly showed his badge of honor to me and as he described the situation that he put himself into, I cringed knowing just how stupid his mistake was. The thing is, he's a retired engineer with a terminal degree and a supposed command of the simple laws of physics BUT absolutely not a drop of sense when it comes to proper use of his table saw. After he purveyed his plight with a grin, I wiped it off his mug by telling him he should have his license to drive a saw suspended for a year.

In the famous words of Forest Gump, "Stupid is as stupid does."

always knows where his fingers are,
J.C.


----------



## saddlesore (Oct 17, 2007)

SteveM is also right about Fluor's safety record. As far as oil and gas is concerned, especially offshore, Fluor's safety record is unsurpassed in an industry that has a frightful overall safety record.

REAL safety information and using your head is more important than all the legal department mandated tags and stickers on new equipment you purchase!


----------



## lclashley (Feb 19, 2007)

I've seen many posts where jocks make mention of safety to others. They're not just under the "Safety in the Woodworking Shop" section however. Or under a topic titled with "Safety".


----------

