B930

Having worked as an ED physician for 23 years, I have seen a number of woodworking related injuries. The majority were related to contact with the saw blade and only rarely did I see kickback injuries. The second most common injury for the nonindustrial woodworker was with the jointer. Each time, the woodworker admitted to being careless.
As a casual woodworker, I always asked them about their use of the saw and what happened in more detail. Here is some food for thought. In every incident the blade guard was off and the woodworker had more than 10 years of experience. In every case they said they never used a blade guard and nothing has ever happened to them (until that visit). I wonder if Norm uses his blade guard when off the set.
I suspect that after years of woodworking, the use of a tablesaw and other equipment becomes second nature and the user does not take the precautions and extra steps necessary for the sake of time. I must say that seeing these injuries gives me a healthy respect for these power tools. (By the way, my other issue for at home injuries is kids sitting with their parent on riding lawnmowers. Although less common than tablesaw injuries, I have seen too many limbs lost.)