Here is a topic that is uncomfortable to think about and experience: injuries in the shop. As a person who has been a woodworker for 40 years, I have had my share of accidents, some of which ended up badly. Hit in the face with a 4×4: broken cheekbone. Fingers tangled with a router bit: blood and bandages. The good news is that I still have all 10 digits and they all work reasonably well. The bad news is that 99 percent of my shop injuries were avoidable and my fault.
So here are some questions that spring from these observations. Do you have first aid equipment in your shop space? Have you thought through steps to make sure you can get help if something bad does happen? (For example, a landline phone in your shop …)
As shown from my experiences above, personal responsibility is the key to preventing shop injuries. It is also key to surviving shop accidents. What steps have you taken?
Rob Johnstone, Woodworker’s Journal
