Forbes magazine recently published a list of some of the most dangerous power tools on the market. While we definitely are power tool advocates, we also want to promote safety on our site. These tools are not toys, and users must understand the potential harm they can do if not used properly!
POWER NAILERS: They make short work of framing, but power nailers also send 37,000 people a year to emergency rooms according to a CDC study covering 2001-2005, with 40% of injuries suffered by consumers. More importantly,do to their growing popularity, the number would be much higher if the survey were done today.
CHAIN SAWS: They account for about 39,000 emergency room visits per year.
TABLE SAWS: Table saws account for about 29,000 emergency room visits per year.
SNOW BLOWERS: Come winter, these tools put 5,700 patients a year into the ER, with 600 finger amputations, and 19 deaths since 1992.
CIRCULAR SAWS: ERs see 10,600 patients a year thanks to these common tools.
RIDING LAWNMOWERS: An average 37,000 people a year end up in the hospital (with 95 deaths) thanks to these ubiquitous suburban vehicles.
POWER DRILLS: Compared to chain saws and snowblowers, drills seem downright friendly, yet they put 5,800 people a year in the ER.
BACKHOES: These hydraulic monsters are now available to any handyman with the money to rent one, but be wary. Even the pros aren’t immune from disaster. Backhoes kill an average 38 construction workers a year.
AIR COMPRESSORS: You’d think the tool at the other end of the hose posed the only danger, but compressors cause 2,400 injuries a year.
WOOD CHIPPERS: Only 3 per year on average die using these tools. But their size and power mean it doesn’t take much for the worst to happen. Please be careful!
Question – What do most of these peole have in common? They didn’t put safety first. Remember even though power tools are fun, they are not toys. So, in conclusion, please realize that power tools can be a great help in getting jobs done well and efficiently, but they are to be well respected with regards to potential danger if not used with knowledge and care!
This was very interesting to read up on. I was amazed at a few of the tools that made this top ten list, particularly snowblowers!
Hmm…I wonder what “serious injuries per hour of use” data would look like. I can’t think of a way to calculate that, but it would yield more meaningful information about the relative safety of various tools.
printed out for my shop wall. Thanks.