Perhaps you looked forward to the holidays with a bit of extra excitement this year because you just knew that the power tool you’d been dropping hints about all fall was under the tree or next to the Menorah, just waiting for your eager hands. Then “Hallelujah!” there it was! But was the very next gift you opened a sort of smallish and light? Was it a pair of safety glasses or goggles to accompany your new toy? No?? Then you have some online shopping to complete before tackling that first do-it-yourself project.

Bob Vila Understands the Importance of Safety Eyewear

Bob Vila, remodeling author and TV host cautions power tool users to never trust their own glasses to protect their eyes. Instead, Vila advises you to wear either safety goggles or safety glasses with good side protection to avoid flying bits of wood and metal entering your eyes from the sides. Safety Glasses USA has just the proper protection for you and your job in every size and price range; from Pyramex’s Ztek Safety Glasses to Oakley’s Polarized Sunglasses, whatever your needs, we’ve got you covered.

Do you want to know if your new power tool made Forbes’ list of the 10 Most Dangerous Power Tools? Then, check the list below because the statistics may surprise you!

10 Most Dangerous Power Tools

  • Power Drills: The typical household power drill sends 5,800 people to the ER annually.
  • Snowblowers: 5,700 patients arrive at the ER yearly with 600 finger amputations and 19 deaths since 1992. (Read more on our blog: “5 Important Snow Blower Safety Tips“)
  • Air Compressors: Strange as it may seem, air compressors cause 2,400 injuries a year.
  • Circular Saws: ERs see 10,600 patients yearly thanks to these standard tools.
  • Table Saws: 29,000 people a year end up at the ER due to accidents with table saws.
  • Power Nailers: Between 2001-2005, power nailers sent 37,000 people each year to emergency rooms. And this number continues to grow every year!
  • Riding Lawnmowers: An average of 37,000 people land in the hospital (with 95 deaths) using these standard yard maintenance vehicles a year.
  • Chain Saws: Chain saws account for 36,000 ER cases a year.
  • Backhoes: Now available to any do-it-yourselfer who can afford to rent one, be warned. Even professionals are killed every year operating these complicated, heavy-duty pieces of equipment.
  • Wood Chippers: Only about 3 people per year die using wood chippers, but their size and power mean it doesn’t take much for the worst to happen.

Before powering up your new gift, read the entire instruction manual thoroughly and follow these additional safety tips.

Man Working On Circular Saw

Emergency Rooms see 10,600 patients yearly thanks to the ordinary circular saw!

5 Power Tool Safety Tips

  • Clamp your work down: Instead of using your free hand to hold the piece you’re cutting, use a clamp to hold it in place.
  • Stay awake and alert: ”People work when they’re tired and shouldn’t be working with tools,” warns Norm Abram, master carpenter for This Old House.
  • Wear protective eyewear: Bob Vila knows what he’s talking about, and so does the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Wearing protective eyewear prevents 90% of work-related eye injuries.
  • Don’t disable the safety: Abram was on a construction site when a carpenter fired a staple into his thigh bone when he rested the tool against his leg. So if the safety guard on your new table saw is in your way, don’t remove it; return it to the store and buy a better quality saw.
  • Beware of the danger of ricochet: When a power nailer misses the pre-drilled hole in a piece of metal, it can bounce back and seriously injure your chest, face, neck, or eyes.

We congratulate you on your new power tool and wish you all the best of luck with your projects. But we strongly encourage you to purchase the appropriate eye protection for your tool and job before you start. Then we urge you to form the habit of consistently wearing your safety glasses or goggles every time you work. Don’t let yourself become another statistic.