How to Avoid Common Power Tool Accidents

Many common power tool injuries fall under the category of lacerations and amputations. A laceration is a jagged wound or cut, whereas an amputation is a full removal of a body part. A majority of these accidents occur to the fingers or hand. "You have a power tool, and what you are doing with the power tool, you are holding with your hand," says Dr. Sacchetti, Chief of Emergency Services at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center in Camden, N.J. "When things don't go well, your hand takes the brunt of it."

The severity of the injury depends on a number of factors, including location of injury, the deepness of the cut and type of power tool that caused the accident. Any amputation can affect mobility, movement and dexterity. Yet, for example, losing the tip of an index finger might not affect the holding and grasping of things as much as losing part of a thumb, especially if it's on your dominant hand.

There are several power tools that can inflict these injuries. One of the most common is the saw. From table saws to circular saws and chain saws, these tools have sharp blades that can be designed to cut a variety of materials. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commissions' research, U.S. hospital emergency rooms treated an estimated 93,800 saw-related injuries in 2001 [source:Adler]. Accidents can occur when fingers or a hand get too close to the blade or are pulled into the blade when cutting a piece of wood. Trying to cut a piece of wood that is too small for the tool is another situation that can cause injury.

Yet, taking the proper precautions can help to reduce the risk for injury. Here are a few tips to help reduce your risk for saw-related injuries:

Much like the saw, two of the most common yard power tools also pose a risk for lacerations or amputations. The lawnmower and the snow blower are routinely used to handle outdoor projects, which can make them seem deceivingly safe. This false sense of security can lead to an underestimation of the risk of injury.

For example, when a tool is malfunctioning, an operator may try to do a quick fix on the equipment, yet these fixes can have dire consequences. "It amazes me how many people will have a problem with their lawnmower and reach their hand underneath to explore the problem, forgetting the dangers of sharp, rotating objects," says Dr. Ryan Stanton, medical director at U.K. Good Samaritan Emergency Medicine, associate professor at U.K. Department of Emergency Medicine and spokesperson for the American College of Emergency Physicians.

A similar situation can occur with a snow blower. When a piece of ice or snow is jammed inside the snow blower, the operator may reach into the blower to dislodge the clog. When the obstruction is removed, the blades will kick back and revolve, cutting off fingers or the whole hand.

It's important to remember that accidents don't only happen to the operators of these tools; bystanders should also take precautions. Bystanders can be hit by projectiles while a lawnmower is in use. Riding lawnmowers can pose a particular risk to young children or pets if the operator doesn't see them and accidentally reverses or drives over them.

客的一些建议ep in mind when using these powered lawn tools:

Eye injuries are another common category of injuries related to power tools. According to the 2009 Eye Injury Snapshot Project done by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, more than one in five eye injuries occurring at home were due to home repair or power tools. The most common place for the injuries to occur was the yard or garden [source:美国眼科学会].

The most common form of eye injury associated with power tools comes from shavings of wood or metal flying into the eye when working on a project. Bystanders can also be affected by indirect dust from the construction site connecting with their eyes. These injuries can come from tools that have the potential to throw objects of any shape into the air, including saws, drills, sanders or grinders. Lawnmowers can also catch items from the ground and shoot them across the yard, injuring a person.

An easy way to protect against many eye-related injuries is by wearing protective eyewear. The American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Ocular Trauma recommend that every household have at least one pair of ANSI-approved protective eyewear for use during projects with potential for eye injuries [source:美国眼科学会]. One of the most important things about protective eyewear and other protective equipment is consistency [source:Appy]. "Unfortunately with accidental injuries, you can do it 99 times and get away with cutting a corner on safety, but it's the hundredth time that something really bad happens," says Meri-K Appy, president of the Home Safety Council.

Next, we'll take a look at puncture wounds.

Puncture wounds include any wound that creates a hole with a specific entry point into the skin. Similar to lacerations or amputations, puncture wounds are also most prevalent in the fingers and hands. "Usually it is someone holding something to drill through it, and the drill works very nicely," says Dr. Sacchetti. "It goes right through what they are holding and right through the hand that's holding it."

These injuries are usually done with drills, electric screwdrivers and even staple or nail guns [source:Josephson]. According to a report analyzing data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Center for Disease Control, from 2001-2005, an average of approximately 37,000 patients were treated for nail-gun injuries at U.S. hospital emergency departments annually with 40 percent of those injuries occurring to non-professionals [source:Lipscomb].

虽然许多这些损伤更严重a laceration or amputation, they can still be very painful. "I did manage to put a power drill's Phillips screwdriver bit through my non-dominant left thumbnail, totally obliterating the nail bed, two years ago," says Dr. Richard K. Turner, Doctor's Medical Center in San Pablo, Calif., and spokesperson for the American College of Emergency Physicians. "The thumbnail has almost grown back to pre-accident status. Man, that hurt!"

Taking proper precautions is the key to reducing the risk of injury. Here are some safety tips to reduce the risk of puncture wounds:

From puncture wounds to amputations, power tools certainly have the potential to change a small project into a disaster. Yet, with good safety habits, the chance for injury can be greatly reduced. "Before anybody starts a project like that take a moment to reflect on: What am I going to lose here and how willing am I to give it up? If you're not willing to give it up, do what's needed to protect yourself," says Meri-K Appy, president of the Home Safety Council.