31,400 Table Saw Accidents a Year

[Stephen Edwards]

In over 40 years of WW I've experienced one accident on a WW machine's spinning blade/bit. Mine was on a router table. The cause was nothing less than stupidity on my part. It wasn't the machine's fault in any way. I was doing a task that I simply should not have been doing without the proper hold downs and taking too deep a cut in one pass. It was 100% avoidable with the safety devices I had on hand. Fortunately, I didn't lose an digits nor suffer any long term damage. I chose to ignore my instincts and paid the price.

Sometimes, I'll find myself beginning to not pay attention as I should when working on my TS. When I experience that, I turn the machine off, chastise myself, think about it and then back to my work with full concentration.

I also agree with Chip that alcohol probably plays a major role in many shop accidents, as does being tired and mentally stressed.

For me, don't have a beer (I rarely drink anyway and certainly not in the shop) and quit for the day when my instincts tell me to do so. Add to that, develop good work habits and good instincts. It's about respect, not fear.

[Neil Brooks]

I like the fact that some people "improved" the statistic by viewing the injury *rate*.

I'd go one step further, though.

Like transportation, the stats are generally viewed in "passenger miles."

In other words, the TS injury rate could be more granular, and -- IMHO -- more useful, if we knew the rate as a function of operator/operation hours.

[Brandon Weiss]

I've spent many a day working in the shop with a beer in my hand. Those are days I conserve the most energy. No power tools are EVER turned on as soon as I crack a beer. Once I crack a beer it's time to clean the shop or close the doors. This mindset came from a day of roofing with a friend. Had a beer at lunch, got back on the roof and promptly put a shingle staple through my middle finger. Staple entered right next to the nail, stuck out the other side. I've decided to apply that lesson learned to woodworking tools.

[Mike Cruz]

As someone else stated, my immediate thought was 10 times a year could be the same person... So, 31,000 incidents could easily be 20,000 people. Hard for you to believe? Think of this:

Imagine, for a moment, how stupid the AVERAGE person is. Wait for it, wait for it... Now, realize that HALF the population is STUPIDER (like that word?) than them! How is THAT for depressing...

[Mike Henderson]

As someone else stated, my immediate thought was 10 times a year could be the same person... So, 31,000 incidents could easily be 20,000 people. Hard for you to believe?

Yep, it's really, really hard to believe that more than one or two people would get injured by a table saw 10 times in one year in all of the United States.

It's really hard to believe that any significant number would be injured by a table saw five times in one year.

For one thing, the recovery time from a serious injury would put them out of operation for months on end.

Mike

[Maurice Ungaro]

Yep, it's really, really hard to believe that more than one or two people would get injured by a table saw 10 times in one year in all of the United States.

It's really hard to believe that any significant number would be injured by a table saw five times in one year.

For one thing, the recovery time from a serious injury would put them out of operation for months on end.

Mike

Mike, never underestimate stupidity. And remember, nothing is foolproof, as fools are so ingenious!

[Mike Cruz]

Amen to that Maurice! Not to mention, a TS injury does not mean a cut by the blade. Taking a shot to the gut from a kickback, or a projectile to the face might send you to the emergency room, but not keep you off the saw for more than a week or two. That said, I know of a guy that caught one in the gut from a 5hp TS and broke multiple ribs and was in the hospital for over a month....

I wonder if tripping over you pet into your TS counts for both statistics...

[Karl Brogger]

In other words, the TS injury rate could be more granular, and -- IMHO -- more useful, if we knew the rate as a function of operator/operation hours.

Bingo- If you could figure it per number of cuts, (regadless of size), that number is pretty dang small. Basically non-existant.

I heard on the news the other night that around 3000 people per year are seriously injured from tripping over their pets.