The most important safety rule...

[Ben West]

I'm a Norm fan - few have done more to promote woodworking - but I disagree with him on one point. We're all familiar with his admonition to wear safety glasses. To quote:

"Before we use any power tools, let's take a moment to talk about shop safety. Be sure to read, understand, and follow all the safety rules that come with your power tools. Knowing how to use your power tools properly will greatly reduce the risk of personal injury. And remember this: there is no more important safety rule than to wear these — safety glasses."

I obviously agree that safety glasses are important. Heck, they are essential. But, if I had to choose between safety glasses and my earplugs, I probably would pick the earplugs.

Here's why: the likelihood of me having an accident and injuring my eyes is relatively small. Sure, it happens everyday, but there also gobs and gobs of people who do woodworking-type activies without safety glasses and never have an accident. On the other hand, I know of NOBODY who has worked around power tools for much of their lives and not worn hearing protection who didn't suffer some hearing loss. For many people, especially later in life, hearing loss can occur at a debilitating level.

This isn't to start a debate about Norm, but just to highlight that, IMHO, hearing protection is just as important as safety glasses, but it's rarely mentioned. On many shows, including Norm's, the hosts often operate machinery with no hearing protection.

In my shop, hearing and eye protection are both mandatory.

[Julian Nicks]

If my ears were damaged from the noise in the shop, I would still be able to read your post. I wouldn't hear that truck coming from behind me though.......

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I hate to disagree, that there is a choice. IMO, there should be NO option to choose ear over eye or vice versa. There are a few tools that make little noise. I use my drill press all the time without earplugs, but it makes VERY little noise. No need to use earplugs instead of safety glasses. Table saw, band saw, router all warant both. I do agree that Norm should start professing use of earplugs/muffs. He is my idol.

You can get a hearing aid. Works reasonably well. You can also get a glass eye, but it does not work that well. Safety glasses are always on and a must have for me. I had 1 close call from a flying chunk of wood that hit my eyebrow...... I have 5 or 6 pairs of them so I almost always have one within reach.

Don't forget dust mask/lung protection while you're on the safety bandwagon. Safety shoes help too. Lots of things can go wrong. All it takes is a microsecond and your hobby/job could be on the shelf for the rest of your life.

[Ben West]

I agree completely, Kyle...both are critical. But, for whatever reason, ear protection is rarely mentioned.

I personally must develop better habits about wearing a respirator. I have good dust collection machines, but hate putting on a mask. But, I know it is the right thing to do, and I plan on doing a much better job of it.

[Rod Sheridan]

Must be my industrial background however when using any tool with a universal motor, I wear ear muffs.

Same for when the dust collector is on, or using the table saw/shaper, planer/jointer.

As previously mentioned I don't wear ear muffs when using the drill press, or the lathe.

I do however wear safety glasses, even when using hand tools such as chisels etc.

I also wear workboots since I'm a klutz and have been known to drop drill press vises on my foot.

Another safety item, use machinery guards. If you can't use the guard, you're either using the wrong machine, or need a different guard.

Regards, Rod.

[David DeCristoforo]

This is like that old torture favored by Chinese pirates. They would tell you they were going to cut off one limb, an arm or a leg. Then they would give you the night to think about which one you wanted them to cut off. The next morning they would come back with the sword and ask you which limb you wanted to lose. If you couldn't make up your mind they would tell you that if you left the decision to them, they would simply remove your head. Maybe it would be prudent to protect all of your body parts.... eyes, ears, hands, etc. Why should one have to make a choice? Of course, if you were to carry this to the extreme, you could end up trying to work in a suit of armor....

[Prashun Patel]

Here's what I use. No Chinese pirates gettin' in here with their fangled machettes!

[David DeCristoforo]

"Here's what I use..."

That's what I'm talkin' about!!!!

[Rod Sheridan]

Here's what I use. No Chinese pirates gettin' in here with their fangled machettes!

Great, except for your fingers, better buy a Saw Stop as well:D

Regards, Rod.

[Jim Kountz]

I would hate to have to choose but if I did eye protection would win hands down for me.

[Joe Aliperti]

Here's what I use. No Chinese pirates gettin' in here with their fangled machettes!

What is that for? Deep-lava diving?

[Cody Colston]

I've worked on and around drilling rigs since I was 20 years old. As a result, my hearing is pretty poor, even when wearing a couple of $6000 hearing aids. But, while my eyesight is starting to worsen at 57 years old, I can still see to read, drive and work in the shop without corrective lenses.

To me, there is no question which is the most important to protect and it's definitely the eyes. Hearing damage is generally gradual and cumulative over a lifetime. If you lose an eye(s) to injury, it is immediate and complete. I wouldn't want to lose either but one's eyesight is infinitely more precious than one's hearing.

That said, I do wear ear muffs when running most of the equipment in the shop, with the lathe and drill press being exceptions, although I wear them a lot at the lathe when sanding because I have the DC running, too. I always have my safety glasses on, even for the tasks that don't require them.

Oh yeah, I've heard Norm say on many episodes to also wear hearing protection "when appropriate."

[Ben West]

one's eyesight is infinitely more precious than one's hearing.

I sure don't disagree, but some would. Ask a musician which is more important.

I suppose I opened a space for debate when I speculated that I'd prefer earplugs over glasses if forced to choose. The real point, though, is that hearing protection is a critical piece of safety equipment that often seems to be considered optional or secondary to glasses.

For me personally, I want to keep both my hearing and my eyesight!

[Neal Clayton]

Here's what I use. No Chinese pirates gettin' in here with their fangled machettes!

we laugh, but you can find plenty of youtube videos with people wearing so much crap that a) they can't see what they're doing and b) they catch a string or some such at every turn, and actually hurt themselves due to all of the stuff they're wearing.

[Andrew Joiner]

Could you guys please type LARGER. I'm an old woodworker and I can barely hear what your posting.

[Bill Wyko]

I would have to say you're all wrong:eek: The most important saftey rule is "Common Sence":D THINK BEFORE YOU ACT:D:D:D :rolleyes:HHMMMM what might happen if my fingers are a 1/2 inch from the blade when I make this cut?:eek:

[Jacob Reverb]

Let a staple or a piece of carbide whack you in the eyeball while you're cutting something small on the table saw and let me know how things work out for ya when ya flinch.

[Peter Quinn]

Little chance of an eye injury? What the heck are you talking about? Every time you fire up ANY machine that cuts wood there is a very good chance of getting a blinding eye injury. Quick, fast, and in a hurry an errant projectile can change your life in an instant forever. Not even a maybe. Sure, it doesn't happen every time, but I've been whacked in the safety glasses enough to thank god they were on.

I'm an amateur musician as well, so I value my hearing and wear ear protection in spite of what NAHM does or doesn't emphasize on his show. That's part of that common sense thing Bill mentioned for me. At work we are required to wear ear protection and get tested regularly to meet OSHA regulations. They test us and develop a profile over years to make sure things aren't degrading. They also ask us to wear ear protection out side of work in any conditions of extreme noise to keep us safe. Few noises in the wood shop, and that includes the 6 head molders at work, are loud enough to deafen you in a single incident. I wouldn't want to choose between my sight and my hearing, so I do everything I can to protect both. I can say I have run a loud machine now and then for a quick cut without ear protection, but I NEVER push the green button without my glasses on.

[guy knight]

the most important safety device is your making sure you turn your brain on first

[Karl Brogger]

1. Eye protection or not, your face should never be in the path of flying anything. The past two times I've gotten a hunk of something in my eye has been turning the saw on, then bending over to make sure its at zero. Just a little piece of dust causing a 1/2 hour of misery in the bathroom rinsing out my eye. I admit that I am a poor example of using eye protection. The only one that I do on a regular basis is the lathe, then I go for ski goggles cause there is crap going everywhere.

2. Ear protection is a must unless you are sure that you want to spend your later years go "WHAT?!" or "HEH?" Sure, a chisel is pretty quiet, but we painting with a broad brush here, and most of woodworking is pretty dang loud.

[Greg Hines, MD]

As an MRO, I see plenty of people who have significant hearing loss due to industrial machinery from several different industries. I counsel my patients to wear safety glasses, but to also wear hearing protection. I wear plugs when I do anything in the shop, outside of a handsaw or a plane.

As a side note, even when I don't wear plugs, I always wear safety glasses.

Doc

[Ben West]

I guess we can add shop safety on the list with Festool and SawStop -- topics guaranteed to generate controversy!

If nothing else, hopefully this discussion has caused some people to think a bit more about shop safety, especially ear protection since it seems that is overlooked quite a bit.

Using woodworking equipment without eye protection is risky not because there is a "good chance" an accident will happen, but because of the severity of the consequences in the event an accident does happen. I stand by my original statement that the likelihood of having an accident that seriously injures your eyes is relatively low. If it wasn't, then there would be a lot of partially blind people around, because the vast majority of "do-it yourselfers" do not typically wear safety glasses (at least in my experience). I personally know of nobody who has experienced serious eye damage because of woodworking or home projects, but I know plenty who have experienced hearing loss. Nevertheless, I wear eye protection because the potential consequences of an accident, however unlikely, are too severe to risk.

It really wasn't about a debate, but to encourage people to consider eye and ear protection as both critical.

[Sean Nagle]

Let a staple or a piece of carbide whack you in the eyeball while you're cutting something small on the table saw and let me know how things work out for ya when ya flinch.

It doesn't have to be as destructive as a piece of metal. A good blast of dust will temporarily blind you while you're holding your fingers real close to a spinning machine.

[Brian Kent]

My one-eyed cousin Gary thinks I should always wear the safety glasses.

[jim carter]

Dont forget the cup for those unforseen projectiles.

[Dustin Lane]

Let a staple or a piece of carbide whack you in the eyeball while you're cutting something small on the table saw and let me know how things work out for ya when ya flinch.

Spent a couple hours in the ER getting a piece of rusty metal removed from my eye after not wearing eye protection while cutting a chain with an angle grinder. I thought it was only one quick cut, I should be fine. I was wrong. Now it's eye protection for anything. I always wear my ear muffs though, I can't stand the loud noises of machinery.

What are everyone's recommendations for eyes and ears? Currently I can't wear my eye protection with ear muffs for any length of time until they start to hurt. Suggestions for glasses?

[Matt Armstrong]

I find the shrill of machinery to be unpleasant. Why would you want to hear that crap? For me, it's more obnoxious to NOT wear the hearing protection. Eye protection is a no-brainer. I've had little bits of crap fly at my eyes when I don't wear it and it sucks... flushing stuff out of your eyes is really unpleasant enough... would you want to lose one or both?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Just for the record. I'm totally deaf in my right ear and have tonitus in it too. The tones there subtract from the hearing I have in my left so I have about 30% of normal hearing.

It is extemely irritating. I used to have an incredible ear for music. I could find things in recordings that professional musicians wouldn't hear until I pointed them out. I played and sang music in my younger years.

My hearing was very important in my adult years while elk hunting....hearing smell.....vision.

I woke up one morning about 10 years ago and I was stone deaf in my right ear. I've had MRIs...MRAs....near as anyone can figure I have or had a virul infection in my inner ear on that side and now am deaf. I also have had severe vertigo attacks that could be related to the previously mentioned problem? I take medicine to keep the vertigo in check.

First thing you notice....With stereophonic hearing you can tell the direction sounds come from....I can't. I hear a loud noise.....I'm turning around looking for the source as I can tell if it's behind me...beside me or in front of me.


2nd thing.....if it's you and me conversing in a big domed stadium and nobody else making noise...I can hear and understand most of what you say.....put someone else at the other end talking....I can hear both of you and can't understand either of you.

I have 3 guitars sitting 30' from me. Two of them are considered mighty fine axes. I play maybe 3 times a year. I don't hear as well as I used to...I can't enjoy the music as much as I used to......I don't want to take the chance of losing what hearing I have left.


The most important safety rule......use your head....wear safety glasses.....hearing protection.......read, understand and follow all of the safety rules prescribed by the manufacturers of the tools you are using. Be alert!

[William Nimmo]

I almost never wear safety glasses. They annoy the crap out of me. Hearing protection is worn quite often. In fact I think it is funny how they always put on safety glasses on tv when they do anything and in the real world most people never use them.

[Brian Kent]

Check out this video to see why:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQFD3JatwiI

[Jim Becker]

I would hate to have to choose but if I did eye protection would win hands down for me.

Ditto. No question about that in my mind.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I almost never wear safety glasses. They annoy the crap out of me. Hearing protection is worn quite often. In fact I think it is funny how they always put on safety glasses on tv when they do anything and in the real world most people never use them.


I live in the real world and like I said, I almost always use them. Maybe not for a chisel. But almost always.
You remind of this guy in the emergency room, getting metal dust out of his eyes. "This is the second time this exact thing happened to me!" ummm.... No comment.

[Cody Colston]

I almost never wear safety glasses. They annoy the crap out of me. Hearing protection is worn quite often. In fact I think it is funny how they always put on safety glasses on tv when they do anything and in the real world most people never use them.

I can't bring myself to turn on a power tool without having my safety glasses on. Not only that, but I also make anyone who is in the shop with me when I'm working wear them, along with ear protection...my shop, my rules.

I'm not a nut about safety, either. I also see people on tv and even at work dressed up in so much safety garb that they can't perform their jobs effectively and it becomes a hazard in itself. Sometimes, I wonder why some people even bother with woodworking because they are so concerned about getting hurt that they want to wear every piece of PPE ever invented and buy every gadget on the market to obstensibly protect themselves.

The fact is that a few items of PPE (eye protection, ear protection, breathing protection) along with common sense and forethought will let you avoid serious accidents.

[Paul Ryan]

Could you guys please type LARGER. I'm an old woodworker and I can barely hear what your posting.


That funny,................funny, funny. I needed a good laugh. Hearing loss definatly runs in my family and I have started to lose my hearing already. When my wife is speaking to me it is better known as selective hearing, but either way I don't hear what I used to.

Now after wooking in other industries for 20 years, wood working is really fairly quite to me. Up until this point I never thought about wearing ear protection, even when my shop vac used to be my dust collector. And I have to admite I rarely use eye protection. Accidents can happen all of the time and I really think I should wear eye protection I just don't thing about it. But ear protection if you wear it great. You are a better man than I am. But I am not about to start, I don't like wearing it, I like to have the radio on when I am working, hear my wife hollar at me, or my phone ring. Personally I just dont think any of my machines are that loud that my hearing is being damaged. I have worn ear protection in the past, because while in many shops there were times when the noises were obvisly harmful. To me eye protection in a wood shop is 10X more important.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

My employer requires and provides prescription safety glasses. I wear them all the time.

[William Nimmo]

I wear glasses when using a worm drive that shoots back at me, the lathe, or one of my non festool routers without dust control, but otherwise almost never. 25 years and no eye issues. I instinctually take glasses off. Even sunglasses when I am out on the boat in bright sun I take off without realizing it.
There is no way I am putting glasses on every time I use a drill, or the domino, or a sander, or the band saw, or the thickness planer with almost complete dust collection, or make a cut on the mitre box, and so on and so on.
no way no how.
I hired a mason contractor once who cut through my 6 inch thick concrete basement wall to put an outside entrance in. He used a hand held concrete saw and cut for about an hour with concrete and dust flying everywhere. No mask, no glasses, no hearing protection. I would have worn all three. Come to think of it no I wouldn't. I would hire someone to do that.

[Chris Friesen]

1. Eye protection or not, your face should never be in the path of flying anything.

Hard to avoid that with a lathe. When turning I use eye protection and a face shield.

[Chris Friesen]

Personally I just dont think any of my machines are that loud that my hearing is being damaged.

You may want to reconsider that. Some figures from someone on this forum:
porter cable framing nailer: 125dB
craftsman shop vac: 123dB
craftsman circular saw: 118dB
porter cable router: 110-113 dB
hitachi router: 105dB
dewalt biscuit jointer: 105dB

[Bob Genovesi]

I would hate to have to choose but if I did eye protection would win hands down for me.

I'm with you here!

If your eyesight was damaged you couldn't find your ear ptotection or that spinning blade..... OUCH!!

[Greg Hines, MD]

I almost never wear safety glasses. They annoy the crap out of me. Hearing protection is worn quite often. In fact I think it is funny how they always put on safety glasses on tv when they do anything and in the real world most people never use them.


Good luck with that. If your glasses don't suit you, get different glasses. Or a patch. Whatever.

Doc

[Carlos Alden]

Check out this video to see why:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQFD3JatwiI

Just think how much stronger America's industrial base could be if we didn't have to cope with all those restrictive OSHA and Union regulations!:p

Carlos

[William Nimmo]

Cmon, you mean to tell me every time you make a cut on the mitre saw you put on glasses. You have got to be kidding

[Bill Wyko]

Let a staple or a piece of carbide whack you in the eyeball while you're cutting something small on the table saw and let me know how things work out for ya when ya flinch.

Again, it goes back to common sense:p. HMMMM should I put on my safety glasses or just make this quick cut? Now look at the scenarios that could happen if you didn't put on your safety glasses. The staple hits you in the eye. You jump to grab your eye. In the process your fingers go across the blade. You now are 2 fingers short of pulling out the staple. OR!!!! you took the time to put your safety glasses on. The staple hits your glasses. You flinch. BUT because you had the "common sense" to use a push block, you barely even give it a thought, finish your cut and go about your day. It all comes back to using common sense and implementing it.
Common sense encompasses everything you do with every tool you have. Weather it be what could happen to you, someone else in your shop or what could happen to your project. Not just one aspect of what you are doing in your shop. I think most of us know that there are too many variables that just can't be predicted so we must be defensive in our practices. All goes back to common sense.:D

[Bill Wyko]

FYI!!! There's a table saw injury on average, every 9 minutes. Any questions?
http://www.tablesawattorney.com/

[Greg Hines, MD]

Cmon, you mean to tell me every time you make a cut on the mitre saw you put on glasses. You have got to be kidding


I didn't used to. Then my brother caught an offcut off a miter saw about a half inch from his eye, and it made a believer out of me.

Doc

[Bill Huber]

I guess I am one of the lucky ones, I ware glasses to see and I always get safety glasses when I get new glasses. I don't have to worry about forgetting to put them on.

I think at this point if I didn't ware glasses I would still be waring some type of safety glasses, I would love to have a $1 for every time something has hit my glasses.

[Bob Slater]

This has to be the ultimate video for disregard to any safety protocol I have seen. Sadly the guy doing the demo will soon be culled after getting skin cancer, blindness and ultimately electrocution..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgAThGrCV4A&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fweldingweb%2Ecom%2Fshowthread%2E php%3Ft%3D31129&feature=player_embedded