A Review of the Series      

                          

Last month we reached Z in our alphabetical examination of how to keep safe in our workshops. This final article focuses on some of the actions we have identified in the series which should help us avoid the many hazards which we are exposed to when woodworking.

Firstly take time to plan your work. Think about what you are aiming to do, what might go wrong and how you can minimise any consequent risk to yourself or others.

Allow enough time to do the task and make some contingency allowance for things that may not go exactly as planned.

Try to work ahead so that you are not always struggling to meet fast approaching or past deadlines.

Whilst it is OK to optimise time spent on a project by using different methods of working, DO NOT take unnecessary risks in an attempt to reduce working time.

Remember that the time to deal with an injury caused by a risky shortcut going wrong is generally longer that the potential time saved and the time for an injury to heal is always many times longer.

The actual cost of an injury to ourselves or damage to our equipment is invariably much more than we would initially estimate.

Learn from the mistakes which other people have made. Most things that can happen to us have already occurred to someone else. We can help others by letting them know about accidents or near-misses which have befallen us and hopefully we can avoid further repeating a painful or costly experience to someone else.

LEARNING POINTS

Have you have had something go wrong whilst woodworking which has caused injury or damage or had a near-miss which could have been serious?  

If so, please consider giving the Newsletter Editor brief details of incidents so that other members may be warned and spared repeating pain or expense or both. (Anonymity can be preserved if required)