Woodworking Safety Rules Every Woodworker Should Know

Now a day’s most of the people are fond of woodworking. They don’t buy their furniture, but they make it by own. If you want to enjoy woodworking, then you should keep in mind basic woodworking safety rules. These rules are common sense ideas to prevent serious injury. Using these safety rules, you can enjoy woodworking in a workshop with your tools. The workshop is the place to learn and adopt new ways with good working habits that will turn to make your woodworking hobbies more fun and productive.The most common type of injuries you can suffer while woodworking

Severed fingers
Blindness
Lacerations or cuts
Amputations
Blunt force injuries
Respiratory problems or disease
Chemical burns or inhalation
Electrical shocks

These are the basic safety rules that every woodworker should follow

1 Always keep covered all your open body part with safety equipment- You should always wear appropriate safety equipment while you are woodworking. Cover all your body parts with safety equipment like safety glasses, safety goggles, face shield, and protect your ear by noisy tools.

Wear eye protection– eyes are the most important body part that should be safe while you are working in the woodshop. To keep safe your eyes, you should wear safety glasses and safety goggles. Safety glasses protect your eyes against smaller chips and workshop hazards, and safety goggles are used to protect your eyes by chemical splashes that can make you blind. The face shield also protects you from sparks and broken tool parts. Face shield alone does not give you full protection, and you should also wear safety glasses underneath the shield.
Wear ear protection– ear safety is as important as eye safety. Some woodworking Tools that creates excessive noise can cause permanent hearing loss. Therefore, you should always wear earplugs or over ear muffs to protect the ear from hearing loss.
Wear the right clothes– you should always wear tight-fitting clothes that are comfortable while you are working in a wood shop because loose clothes might get easily caught in a cutting head or saw blade. Also, remove any dangling jewelry such as neck chains or bracelets.
Wear appropriate footwear– you should wear footwear that has enough grip that will protect your feet from the strain of standing a long time. Leather boots and shoes can protect your feet and toes from cuts from sharp chisels
Wear respiratory protection– respiratory protection is also very important. You should use disposable masks, washable cloth masks, and half facepiece respirators to prevent dust particles.
Disposable masks– these masks are cheap but do not provide full protection. They do not filter all the dust particle because it’s not tight enough to fit in your face. Some small dust particle can go through it and harm your lungs.
Washable face mask– washable face mask is more costly than disposable masks that can be hand washed and used again and again. They are comfortable to wear and prevent a moderate amount of dust.
Half facepiece respirators– it is the best among all respiratory protection. Most of them have replaceable cartridges and filters which absorb vapors and capture dust particles. They are comfortable and easily fit your head. NIOSH, a federal government regulatory agency, approved these respirators and their cartridges.
Power air respirators– this full facepiece mask have battery powered fans which provide a continuous stream of filtered air. Power air respirators are more expensive than other respirators.

2 avoid drugs and alcohols – it is the same as avoiding drinking while driving to prevent an accident. When you are in a wood shop, the condition become worse if you take drugs and alcohols while woodworking. You can take the wrong tool because you are out of your mind. Do not woodwork when you are tired and drowsy.

3 disconnect power before blade changes– whenever you change the blade of your power tool, always disconnect the power first. Sometimes you forget to disconnect power, in that case, you can be seriously injured so you should ensure that all the electrical connections are turned off.

4 never use blunt blades and bits– you should make sure that all the cutting tools and blades are sharp enough so that it could not create any exertion. If the blades and bits are not sharp, then woodworker will have to give some more effort to cut the board, in such cases tools can get off from your control or kick back into your body.

5 always work against the cutter and check for nails, screws, and metals– you should remember that cutting tool and wooden board always move in the opposite direction. Before beginning a cut , always check for nails, screws, and metals that should not be present in the stock, it can damage the tool or kick back the wood bostock.

6 never touch a blade to remove remaining waste and cut-off– never put your hand around moving blade especially when you are working on a table saw, miter saw, etc. when the blade has stopped completely then remove waste material.

7 avoid distractions- don’t use any type of distracting element like headphones, TVs, and cameras while you are working in a wood shop. Always focus on your work; otherwise, it might create a severe accident. Concentrate on your work and enjoy your hobby.

8 try to use one extension cord– you should not use different switches to connect to the power supply for each tool. In woodworking, you have to use many tools simultaneously so Use only one extension cord so that you don’t have to unplug all the switches one by one. You can easily cut off the power supply of all the tools by one switch off.

9 keep a first aid kit in the shop– you should keep a first aid box in your wood shop. You can immediately give treatment for small cuts and injuries. Sometimes small injuries give you significant harm, in such cases first aid box gives you more time to go to the hospital and protect you from a big loss.

10 keep a phone nearby– whenever you are working alone in your wood shop, you should keep a cellphone for emergency calls. Sometimes you get injured and nobody to help you in your shop then a phone call can save your life.

11 keep your body in the proper position– when using a table saw your body should be in a proper position when you are working in a table saw. Always stand to one side of a table saw, not directly in line with a wooden projectile.

12 keep a fire extinguisher in the shop– a fire extinguisher is essential equipment in the wood shop because woods can easily catch fire and burn all the things in minutes. Mount the fire extinguisher near you so that you easily reach when it needed.

13 avoid trip or slip and fall hazards– your woodshop floors and mats should be non-slippery. Don’t run an extension cord and waste materials in the walking path. Keep all the materials off the floor to prevent trip hazards.

14 keeps tool properly maintained and adjusted– all the tools should be appropriately fixed and placed at the right position in your wood shop. Loose tools being ejected quickly and kicked back.

15 keep long hair tied back– keep your long hair tied back whether you are woman or man. They can easily be trapped in cutting tools.