Don’t hurry.When you’re rushed, you make mistakes and accidents
happen.
Never force things.If the drill is meeting resistance or the saw isn’t
biting into the material, stop and check out the situation. Forcing a tool
at these times can cause it to kick back on you or worse.Wear leather work gloves to avoid cutting your handswhen handling
materials with sharp edges or a rough surface that could have splinters.
Watch what you wear.Always wear safety glasses when cutting with
any tool to avoid flying bits landing in your eyes. If a power tool is noisy,
protect your ears with ear muffs or ear plugs. (See the last section of
this chapter for more about this.)Your safety rules apply to anyone in your work area.A flying object
could hit a friend in the eye several feet away, and a noisy tool could
damage his hearing.
Keep a first aid kit handy, just in case.Taking a first aid class would
also be a good thing.Have a phone handy for emergencies.
Follow directions!Power tools often have safety devices and usually
come with instructions for their use. Always engage the safety devices
and follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for safe use of the tool.In the hopes that you’ll rush right over to the tool aisle and buy a lot of tools,
many home improvement stores offer free classes on using power tools and
other procedures that might help you get started.A Safe Workspace Is a Happy Workspace ...................................................
The environment that you work in can be as important to electronic project
safety as how you deal with electricity or sharp tools. Paying attention to
details, such as the kind of clothing you wear — as well as how neat and tidy
you keep your work space — pays off by reducing mistakes and accidents.Dressing for safety................................................................................
We put things you wear around your workshop into two categories: the cloth-
ing you come in with and the safety devices you should put on as you work.The clothes make the man (or woman) safe
Here are two important considerations for safety in the clothing that you put
on before going into your workshop. We touch on each of these elsewhere in
the chapter, but they bear repeating:26 Part I: Project Prep