Kent Cori
11-30-2005, 10:05 AM
There are several active threads regarding accidents in the shop that have resulted in serious injury. I thought I'd pass along a little about what our firm has learned about why these incidents most often occur.
We've found that there are four primary triggers for safety violations. They are:
1. Complacency (I've done this hundreds of times before.)
2. Fatigue or exhaustion (I'm just going to make one more cut.)
3. Rushing or hurrying (I can route this piece and still make it to the dinner table on time)
4. Frustration or impatience (I'm going to get this right if it kills me!)
All of our incidents have resulted from one or more of these triggers. I suspect the same is true in our own woodworking shops.
So what can we do about these issues?
1. Identify the trigger or triggers that you most often experience.
2. Think about them before you start a task.
3. Analyze near misses for which triggers may have been involved.
4. Set up you work to minimize the opportunity to encounter these triggers
5. Commit to doing just one thing differently 24/7 to help minimize your most common trigger.
Woodworking is a great past time. We just need to remember to always do it safely. Otherwise, we may not be woodworking for a long time.
We've found that there are four primary triggers for safety violations. They are:
1. Complacency (I've done this hundreds of times before.)
2. Fatigue or exhaustion (I'm just going to make one more cut.)
3. Rushing or hurrying (I can route this piece and still make it to the dinner table on time)
4. Frustration or impatience (I'm going to get this right if it kills me!)
All of our incidents have resulted from one or more of these triggers. I suspect the same is true in our own woodworking shops.
So what can we do about these issues?
1. Identify the trigger or triggers that you most often experience.
2. Think about them before you start a task.
3. Analyze near misses for which triggers may have been involved.
4. Set up you work to minimize the opportunity to encounter these triggers
5. Commit to doing just one thing differently 24/7 to help minimize your most common trigger.
Woodworking is a great past time. We just need to remember to always do it safely. Otherwise, we may not be woodworking for a long time.