- Do not work alone.
- Wear PPE (safety glasses and hearing protection).
- Keep loose hair, clothing, jewelry, and anything that could get caught in the saw tied back.
- Before the cut, set the depth of the saw to 1/8" thicker than material.
- Prepare a stable surface to cut material on.
- Never remove a guard on a saw unless you have completed the Lockout
- Tagout (LOTO) process.
- Blade guard should move freely to both open and closed position.
- Never cut with a dull blade.
- Always unplug the saw before you change the blade.
- Cut short material from long material first.
- Stand to the side when cutting material. This positions you away from potential kickback.
- Hold the saw with two hands while cutting.
- After your cut, do not let go of the saw while the blade is spinning.
Kickback from table saws and other rotating equipment is a real danger to workers as emphasized in this recent fatal incident that took the life of a worker:
Injury Example:
Worker killed in Wheatland industrial accident
October 3,2016 By WKBN Staff
WHEATLAND, Pa. (WKBN) – An Amish worker was killed Monday during an industrial accident.
Hermitage Police and rescue crews were sent to Omega, Inc. in Wheatland just before 2 p.m. for the workplace accident.
Police said a 37-year-old man was fatally injured by a piece of wood, which kicked back while the man was operating a piece of sawmill equipment.
The man, whose name is being withheld pending notification of family members, died as a result of his wound. Police said the man was wearing safety equipment at the time of the accident.
According to its website, the company manufactures hardwoods and industrial lumber.
The Mercer County Coroner is investigating.
We don't know all the details nor what specific type of equipment the man was utilizing but even the common table saw that many of us use can be a source of kickback. Most people know kickback is dangerous, but often people don't understand why. Kickback happens when the wood hits the back of the blade or the wood binds. Common causes of kickback are:
- the kerf closes behind the cut pinching the blade
- warped, cupped, or twisted material binds between the blade and the fence guide
- the blade isn't parallel to the fence
- a crosscut is made without properly supporting the stock and it twists into the blade
- a cut-off gets trapped between blade and fence.
- in each case, the velocity of the spinning blade can lift the stock and send it flying. I've seen a piece of wood fly so hard it stuck in a plywood wall. You don't want to be hit by that!
Kickback is over before you are even aware it happened, so don't think you can react in time to pull your hand out of the way. You can't.
Here are some tips to prevent getting injured by saw kickback on a table saw:
- Don't pull the workpiece from the back side of the table saw, a kickback can yank your hand right into the blade. Workers often suffer serious injury to their hands when the blade grabs the board pulling it and their hand into the blade.
- Don't use the fence when cross cutting narrow stock. There isn't enough material against the fence to control the cut. Instead use the miter gauge to push the stock and leave your table saw fence to the side.
- Kickback often occurs when you're cutting large sheets of material. If you let the sheet sag down, the kerf can close and pinch the blade as you near the end of the cut.
- Keep your hands and body to one side of the line of cut.
- When using portable saws always maintain a firm grip on the saw and don't stretch so far over the workpiece that you're left in an awkward, unbalanced position.
- Make sure your material is flat and the side against the fence is straight.
- Keep your blade parallel to the fence.
- Never try to free hand a cut.
When it comes to working with Circular Saws, the goal is to perform your job without injury or incident. In order to do this, there are three things you must do ALL the time:
- Have a good plan that
- Identifies and mitigates the hazards associated with your work, and
- STOP work if something isn’t right or it doesn’t seem right and fix the problem before proceeding.
You will never be punished for stopping work to prevent an incident from occurring!