Safety Stand Down

[onedash]

I think after reading another post everyone should have a safety stand down prior to commencing work in the shop. Im guessing the cooler weather and the kids going back to school might mean more of us are getting back into the shop. I know I have recently began my clean up to get back to my project I started last spring. I still have things where they don't belong and just the other night I moved my pile of junk from one side of my TS to the other to make a couple quick cuts and had to lean over a bike to make a cut with my CMS. (had to get my PC router (computer router) standing up because everyone keeps stacking paper or movies on it and it was getting hot). So I know those were both dumb things and nothing happened to me but "it could never happen to me" is what everyone thinks right up until the time it happens.

All the close calls were potential disasters so lets make sure we don't turn this into an online support group for former wood workers who lost a piece of themselves doing what they love.

( ) Well rested in the right state of mind and free of distraction.
DONT DRINK AND SAW
( ) Eye / ear protection.
( ) Work area is clean, free of debris, and sufficient lighting available.
( ) No one in the danger area's.
( ) Power cords are secure and out of the way.
( ) Safety equipment installed and operating correctly.
( ) Is this the right tool for the job?
( ) Blades or bits are servicable and sharp.
( ) Is the wood ready for this stage of the cut?
-Dont use the table saw on a warped board etc...

Let the saw dust fly...(into the DC )

( ) Unplug and secure all tools when finished.
Don't want the kids to hurt themselves or break my tools.

[Pappy]

I'll add my number one rule. If I have a tool in use, any tool other than a pencil and rule, DO NOT APPROACH ME! Wait until I acknowledge your presence. A hammer, chisel, plane or hand saw can cause a bad injury nearly as easily as a router of power saw.

[LCHIEN]

I work for a oil and gas service co - we provide services to oil companies for oil and gas exploration and production.
Oil companies have been in the forefront of safety training for many years, I expect because of the fact that they are 1) rich targets of lawsuits and 2) targets of environmentalists for damaging the ecosystem and 3) because they have a lot to lose otherwise as well when operations are disrupted and equipment/personnel are lost.

The safety plans include thie suppliers (us) and usually contracts are written so that if anyone gets killed the million dollar contracts for services are voided - we get fired.

The following is representative of most major oil companies and suppliers nowadays. A large part of the safety aspect is awareness. Training is frequent on typical hazards we encounter -
slips, trips hazards and falls, working in high places, enclosed places, lockout and tagout (so machinery won't be activiated when its unsafe), electrocution, use of personal safety protection gear (hardhat, saftey glasses with side shields, steel-toe shoes, ear protection and gloves). Working with pinch points (getting pinched in tools or crushed by heavy equipment) and working with high pressure/high temperature. Weekly meetings are held to identify persistent problems and maintenance requirements.
Most work is done with daily safety meetings to kick off the day. Jobs/tasks involving bith insiders and outsiders and non-daily routines are reviewed with all hands in a Job Saftey Anaylsis (JSA) basically everyone participates to identify hazards and related problems. from a checklist including the most common issues (some of which I listed above) and any special ones, hazardous ops are reviewd with responsibilities spelled out. There's also a checklist for Protective equipment to be used for this job - what I listed above plus saftey lines, flotation, vests, etc. Special attention is given to making sure overlapping groups are represented so that two critical ops won't happen jointly complicating things. Particularly emphasized is that all persons are permitted to shut down ops if they see a dangerous situation or even someone not wearing prescribed equipment. Everyone is required to sign the JSA. No work takes place without a countersigned (by the supervisor) JSA.

Now I know that all this is a bit much for the one-man shop you call home but here's some things that can carry over, a personal JSA:
1) per task, a checklist or analysis of dangerous ops, and what can be done to make it less so
2) per task, a checklist of safety devices to be used and had on hand
3) per task, communication to other family members to stay clear and not to turn on related equipment. Use signage, and better yet, temporarily disable appliances in the house that might trip breakers etc. when used at the same time with stuff in the shop.
4) continuously, shut down if you see a potentially dangerous situation developing and correct it. This could range from a loose part to things falling off the table with virbration or lack of proper outfeed support.
5) periodic evaluations of equipment safety and conditions and maintenance required.

Good luck, but mostly careful preparations to you (safety should not be a matter of luck)!

[lrogers]

As I stated in my eariler post, Sunday was a safety stand down for me. Had a chance to do some thinking about Saturday's near disaster. When I went back into the shop Monday evening, it was with renewed dedication for a safe shop and safe working. I even managed to cut out 8 "wheels" for the train toy box, SAFELY!