DavesWorkshop

Thank you, Stephen Cobert! I too have nicked my finger on my table saw, a hand saw, a drill bit, a jig saw, a box-cutter, a socket-wrench that slipped, a kitchen knife, the list goes on. Life is hard. Then you make cabinets! Now on to my real complaint: ALL woodworkers DO suffer permanent hearing damage when they use power tools without hearing protection. Where's the mandate to cut the decibel levels or at least carry a warning label? For that matter, even household vacuum cleaners are a danger to our hearing. What's that you say? Can you hear me now over the ringing in your ears?

I mangled my thumb with a hammer. Where's the mandatory hammer stop? I ran a drill bit into my finger, where's the mandatory drill stop? I fell off the ladder, where the mandatory safety belt? But seriously, power tools are inherently dangerous. In an employer/employee situation, the employer has a duty to train and certify its employee. If it fails to do so then rightly go after the employer. At some point, you have to allow people to be responsible for their own actions. Where I could injure someone else with my actions, require training and certification (like a drivers license, pilot license, electricians license, etc.) But I could poke my eye out with a toothbrush - or smash my thumb with a hammer.