From time to time, chemists are required to become builders. Sometimes an apparatus needs a little tweak or maybe you’re building something entirely new. I’ve done some metal cutting, drilling, driving (of screws), and sanding in the lab… but I don’t remember having any safety training about those things. Today’s SMM is designed to give you a brief overview of some helpful safety precautions when working with power tools. Did you know that there are many shop situations where gloves can be quite dangerous? For example, a glove won’t protect your hand from a table saw, but it can definitely get snagged and pull your hand into the blade. A ring seems very low-profile, but, if you’re not squeamish, you can read a whole host of stories about removed or destroyed fingers caused by a ring getting caught. It’s easy to become distracted by stabilizing a workpiece and forget to focus on the dangerous tool you are operating. It only takes a moment to be injured when working with power tools, so take a moment to look up the best safety practices before you use one.

Here are a few OSHA documents about shop safety. You probably won’t be using many of these tools, but a lot of the safety practices apply. I would recommend YouTube or Google for specific tools.
https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/osha3157.pdf
https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/osha3080.pdf