It's a gloomy, rainy, chilly night. Water seeping through the basement walls forms streams across the workshop floor. A single, dim light reflects against the power tools, casting shadows of unknown creatures everywhere. Spider-webbed extension cords reaching to the wall and ceiling outlets seem to bring the tools to life. Stain and sawdust mix on the floor, creating a mushy, swamp-like slime...and who knows what's lurking in the mound of dirty, oily shop rags piled-up in the corner.

After a long day in the office, Dr. Practice retires to the shop to unwind and relax. Noting the time on his Rolex, he fires-up the kerosene heater to take the chill off the room. Slowly, he moves toward his bandsaw, standing in a puddle of water, then reaches down to turn on the machine.....STOP RIGHT HERE ! Common sense tells you that Dr. Practice may be a World-class brain surgeon, but he obviously has little or no common sense when it comes to shop safety and is probably in for some big trouble. Here's a guy who could use a few serious lessons in workshop safety !

Lots. Let's take a quick look at each of the safety no-nos covered here and see if we can't help our brain surgeon buddy get his act together. First of all, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that water and electricity just don't mix. When Dr. Practice flips the switch on his bandsaw, chances are, he'll be in for a shocking surprise. Moral: NEVER use power tools in a wet environment! Repair the leaks and replace all outlets in the shop area with GFI (ground fault interrupter) versions.



Even though the Doctor's shop may be short on outlets, there are precautions that should be taken with extension cords. To avoid tripping, he should be using heavy-duty extension cords, covered with rubber protectors whenever the cords cross the floors in high-traffic areas. NEVER tape electrical cords to the floors with duct tape, as worn cords could go unnoticed and cause a fire. The best option here would be to use one or a series of overhead, reel-type cords that wind-up when the work's finished.

A quick look at the large number of extension cords in use here also tells us that the good Doctor probably spends a lot of time correcting overloaded circuits. When too many extension cords are plugged into the same outlet...or the extension cords we use are not heavy enough to accommodate the power requirements of high amperage tools...the cords can overheat and potentially, become hot enough to start a fire. Moral: Be sure your shop has sufficient outlets for all your stationary tools...and only use extension cords for portable tools.



If you noticed the floor in the good Doctor's workshop, it's obvious that he's not as tidy at home as he has to be in his office and apparently has a problem cleaning up after himself when he's finished a project. Sawdust is not only messy, it can also be as slippery as ice under certain conditions. Ideally, he should be using a Dust Collection System to pick up the dust he creates at its sources, before it ever gets to the shop floor. Any dust that does sneak by should be swept up immediately.

Being a physician, our friend should also know that sawdust can cause respiratory problems, as well. That's why he should guard against the inhalation of dangerous particles by always wearing a respirator when performing sanding and similar operations that create a lot of dust. Moral: Be neat! Capture as much dust at the source as possible and ALWAYS clean up after yourself before leaving the shop.

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