Table Saw Safety Final

Table Saw Safety Training
Table Saw Safety Training:

MACHINE GUARDING
OSHA and Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA) Alliance, KCMA developed this
power point presentation for informational purposes only. It does not necessarily reflect the
official views of OSHA or the U.S. Department of Labor. Jan 2009
Why guard equipment?
 As you know, there are risks involved in
everything you do. When operating machines,
one way to reduce your risk of injury is to
ensure all safety guards are in place.
 Some of the injuries associated with
unguarded equipment may include (but are not
limited too):
 Crushed body parts
 Amputated body parts
 Blindness
What am I looking for?
 Chains and sprockets

 Rollers
 Flywheels
 Blade exposure
 Any moving part that could cause bodily
injury
What if a guard was not provided
with the equipment?
 Anticipate all possibilities, sometimes you have
to design, build, and install additional guards
Typical guards and signs
PPE Requirements
Face Shield Ear Plugs
Kick-back Apron Safety Glasses

Table Saw Safety Training
SAW SAFETY
Table Saws
Table saws are used for straight sawing.

Depending on the blade, they cut either across
(crosscut) or with (ripsaw) the grain of the
wood.

Table Saw Safety
 Blade guard should rest

Blade Guard
on the wood.
 The blade should stick up
no more than ¼” above
the wood. On/Off Rip Fence
 Make sure the rip fence is

Height/Angle Blade
locked into place. Adjustment
 Lockout the saw before

changing the blade.
 Don’t cut with a dull
blade.
Power Tool Injury Statistics
 According to estimates made by the Consumer
Product Safety Commission, more than 52,000
injuries involving table saws, band saws, miter
saws, or radial arm saws, required medical
attention in the United States in 2001. 83% of
the injuries involved fingers. Almost all of the
injuries were lacerations, amputations,
fractures, or avulsions.
Operator Involvement
 Adjust the height and angle of the blade
 Push the stock into the blade
 Use the guide to maintain a straight cut
 Self-feed or power table saws are equipped
with rollers or a conveyor system to hold the
lumber and force-feed it into the saw blade.
Injury Causes
 Inexperienced operator
 Improper training
 Inadequate or missing guards
 Employee taking shortcuts / rushing
 Distracted operator
 Substance abuse
Point of Operation
Potential Hazard:
 Injuries can occur if an operator’s hands slip
while feeding the stock into the saw, or if the
operator holds his or her hands too close to the
blades while cutting. The operator can also be
injured when removing scrap or finished pieces
of stock from the table.
Point of Operation
Solutions:
 Enclose the portion of the ripsaw and crosscut saw above the table
with a self-adjusting guard as shown. The guard must adjust to the
thickness of the material being cut and remain in contact with it
[1910.213 (c)(1) and (d)(1)]. Hinge the guard so that the blades can
be changed easily.
 Use a push stick for small pieces of wood and for pushing stock
past the blade. [1910.213(s)(9)]
Point of Operation
Additional Safety Measures
 Keep hands out of the line of the cut.

 Attach a brake to the motor’s arbor to stop the
saw from coasting after the power has been
cut off, or have the operator remain at the saw
station after the motor is shut off, until the
blade stops turning.
Other Moving Parts
Potential Hazard:
 Injuries can occur if the operator makes contact with
the blade under the table or with the power
transmission apparatus (if not enclosed).
Solution:
 Always guard the portion of the blade below the table.
Protect operators from possible contact when reaching
under the table. [1910.213(a)(12)]
 Always guard the power transmission apparatus (belts,
pulleys, chains, sprockets, etc.). [1910.213(a)(9)]
Kickbacks
Potential Hazard:
Kickbacks occur when the blade catches the stock and throws it back toward the
operator. Kickbacks can result if the blade height is not correct or if the blade is
not maintained properly. Kickbacks are more likely to occur when ripping, rather
than crosscutting. Kickbacks also can occur if safeguards are not used or if
poor-quality lumber is cut.
 For ripsaws, use a spreader to prevent material from squeezing the saw or
kicking back during ripping. [1910.213(c)(2)]
 Use anti-kickback fingers to hold the stock down in the event that the saw kicks
back the material. [1910.213(c)(3)]
 Maintain and sharpen blade. [1910.213(s)(2)]
 Wear kickback apron.
 Use the proper blade for the cutting action. For example, do not use a crosscut blade
for ripping.
 Operate the saw at the speed specified by the manufacturer.
 Leave sufficient clearance for stock.
 Stand to the side of the saw blade to avoid injury due to kick back.
 Guide the wood to be cut parallel to the rip fence to minimize the potential for kick
back.
 Avoid crosscutting long boards on table saws. Considerable hand pressure is
required close to the saw blade, and the boards create a safety hazard to other
people.
Table saw with rip fence

 Use a filler piece between the fence and the saw blade when necessary such as
when there is little clearance on the fence side.
 Properly support all pieces of stock, including the cut and uncut ends, scrap, and
finished product.
Flying Particles
Potential Hazard:
 The cutting action of the blade may throw wood chips,
splinters, and broken saw teeth.
Solution:
 Remove cracked saw blades from service. [1910.213(s)
(7)]

 Maintain sharp blades.
 Safety Glasses and Faceshield are required
Easiest Injury Prevention from
Saws
 Avoid loose-fitting clothes
 Tie back long hair that might become
entangled in a power tool
 Remove rings, watches, neck chains and other
jewelry
Amputation -Unguarded
A worker was assembling parts of a cabinet when he

noticed one of the parts needed another cut to fit.
When he walked over to the operating side of the table
saw, he noticed that the blade guard was lying on the
floor under the saw. Without installing the guard, the
worker proceeded to make the cut and then reached
across behind the blade to remove the scrap piece.
While dragging the scrap piece towards himself, the
scrap caught on the blade and pulled his hand right
into the unguarded rotating blade. This resulted in
multiple finger amputations on his left hand.
Rip Saw finger amputation
A worker was ripping a wooden work piece with a dado on a manual-
feed table rip saw. When the work piece began to bind, the worker
attempted to move the work piece through by pushing hard on it in
the normal direction of operation. The work piece subsequently
broke free, exposing the circular saw blade underneath which
caught the worker's fingers on his right hand. The worker suffered
amputations of his index and little finger at the first knuckle, and
middle and ring fingers at the second knuckle. The worker should
have used a push stick to free the binding work piece instead of
his right hand.
Lockout / Tagout
 Remove the energy source to the

equipment so the equipment will not
start-up accidentally.
 The table saw must be locked out:
 during lunch and at the end of each shift
 if the table-saw is not used consistently
throughout the day
 when changing the blade
 when maintenance is conducted on the saw
What is next?
 Watch and discuss DVD

 Go over Table Saw Commandments –
each Team Mate must sign and turn in.
 Take written test – must make a
minimum score of 75% to be eligible for
certification.
 Take hands-on test
Program Developed by: Kelly F. Moore

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What are some of the injuries associated with unguarded equipment?

What should you look out for on machines that could cause injury?

Table Saw Safety Training

Table Saw Safety Training:

 Chains and sprockets

Face Shield Ear Plugs

Kick-back Apron Safety Glasses

Table saws are used for straight sawing.

 Blade guard should rest

 Make sure the rip fence is

 Lockout the saw before

Additional Safety Measures

 Keep hands out of the line of the cut.

Table saw with rip fence

A worker was assembling parts of a cabinet when he

 Remove the energy source to the

 Watch and discuss DVD

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