Shop Safety Incident Triggers

[Kent Cori]

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.

[Dave Falkenstein]

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.

Having experienced a "major" table saw accident about 12 years ago, I can attest to the fact that in my case some measure of all four factors were present in my accident. I was making a rotine rip cut on my table saw - something I had done for years. I was tired, having worked on a project to build out a closet all that day. I was hurrying to get the job done, so I could quit and relax. I was ready for the job to be over, so I was a bit frustrated. I failed to use a guard or a push stick, and cut my left thumb rather badly, requiring a visit to the ER and two weeks of sleeping in a recliner with my thumb bandaged and elevated and at least two weeks off work as well. That accident, if you can call it that, taught me a lesson. Now I always use an overhead guard and splitter, if possible, and I keep several push sticks, feather boards and Grrrippers close at hand. I never work when I'm tired or irritable. And I try very hard to plan ahead and take my time with projects. Thanks for the tips.