Commonsense Power Tool Safety For Everyone
Power tools are great fun, but they can and will kill you, or at least make you wish you were dead. You only need a quick check of Darwin Awards.com to find countless ways in which people accidentally and amusingly kill themselves with power tools. You do not want to be the next recipient of a Darwin Award. You won't - and will be able to get your DIY projects done - if you follow commonsense power tool safety.
If You Don't Know What It Is, Don't Turn It On
This should be rule number one in power tool safety, but it's usually not mentioned. Perhaps this is because power tool manufacturers and DIY writers just assume that people have enough common sense to not play with strange power tools. This assumption is completely wrong. Never underestimate the power of human stupidity. You shouldn't even touch a power tool if you don't know what it is. Treat it like a king cobra. Stay far away and call a professional for removal.
Don't Use Them To Disassemble Explosives
This is another common sense power tool safety tip that's not mentioned due to the assumption that common sense exists in most people. In February 19, 2008, two teenagers from Wisconsin were badly injured when they decided it would be an educational experience to open up a bullet with a power drill. They learned all about going to the hospital.
Get Nowhere Near Water
Another commonsense power tool safety tip that is often ignored is not to put the power tools in water, or anywhere near water. Circulating among the web is a photo of two morons (holding beer bottles and goofy grins) with an electric grill and various tools floating on a table in the middle of a pool. All the cords are heavily wrapped in duct tape. Duct tape may be able to kill warts and hold the universe together, but it still won't save you from a power tool safety mishap.
Know Where Your Cords Are
One of the reasons cordless power tools are so popular is that they are generally considered safer than corded power tools. Why is this? Because when you are deeply involved in the middle of a project, you forget basic power tool safety and trip over the wire. Even when the power tool is off and put away, be sure the cord if off of the floor and out of the way of being tripped over.
