There are always hazards when working with or around power tools. Power tools are very powerful devices that when not used with care, they will cause some serious damage to you and anyone else around the work area. Preventing accidents in the shop or out on the job site should be your number one priority.

Before attempting to use any power tools, I recommend first reading the power tool operator’s manual for any precautions involving the specific power tool being used. Every power tool is different and has its own purpose on the job site. Different safety gear is required for different power tool use. Make sure you have the proper safety gear on before using any power tools.

The most common and important piece of safety gear is shatter resistant safety glasses. Safety glasses are a must have in every work area because their will always be flying debris. Whether it is from your power tool or someone else’s power tool from across the room. Power tools can fling debris into the air at very high speeds that can cause serious injury or even death.

Once you have glasses protecting your eyes, now you must protect your ears from any loud noises in the work area. When working with power tools, especially metal working power tools, the work area can become very noisy and can cause damage to your ear drums over time. By simply wearing ear muffs or using ear plugs will help prevent loud noises from damaging your ear drums.

Now that you have your proper eye protection and ear protection in place, it is time to roll your sleeves up and go to work. Make sure that you remove any loose clothing or jewelry before operating power tools. By properly using power tools in a safe environment, you not only protect yourself but you protect everyone else that is in the same work area.