Protect Yourself, Or Pay the Price
The other day I was scrolling through Facebook when I came upon a post by an acquaintance of mine that piqued my interest, but for all the wrong reasons.
The person was spraying primer on an interior, residential renovation he’s close to wrapping up. Nothing wrong with this, though I was taught not to spray on primer, but to brush or roll it on to improve adhesion. I have no idea if that’s the best approach or not, to be honest, but I digress.
The problem that struck me right away was the fact that his face, neck, ball cap and shirt were all covered in white primer. I mean, I might not have recognized this person if their name wasn’t directly above the photo, as he was so pure white he looked part snowman.
Reactions were evenly split between the “Like” and “HaHa” emoji’s. The comments mentioned how he really got into his work, that he was doing a great job and that all the hard work would be worth it. All great support to have, while doing a job not many enjoy. Only one of the commenters mentioned how he should be using a respirator. That comment was met with the original poster’s reply that mentioned how respirators were only meant for the weak and unhealthy. The original poster even mentioned how, if he pressed both sides of his nose together they would temporarily stick together from all the primer. Yikes. What do the inside of his lungs look like?
To be fair, I’m assuming these people aren’t overly into workplace health and safety, nor do they know the risks of airborne vapours. They’re just going through their day, spending a few minutes on social media, having a short laugh, before getting back to their regularly scheduled routine. But that’s part of the reason why I decided to write about safety today; so many folks take their personal safety for granted, until it’s too late.
Scary stuff
I use a dust respirator at least 99% of the time while I’m in the shop. I really don’t know what’s more dangerous, ultra-fine wood dust or primer, but my guess is the later. Either way, that heavy an exposure is never good. And the notion that just because they were a healthy person, they didn’t need to protect themselves from airborne primer fumes would be laughable, if it wasn’t scary. Nobody is immune to chemical vapours, wood dusts or many of the other substances that can be found in our air from time to time.
Lungs are meant to last us our entire life. If we treat them right, they’ll very likely give us many decades of great work. This is the same with protecting other parts of us, too. Eyes, ears, feet and hands are the main ones, but I’m sure that’s not the end of the story.
Next week I'll be more fun
Sorry to hound you all on safety. Next week I’ll write about something much more fun, I promise. We all prefer to chat (and in this case, read) about a great woodworking technique, or another fun woodworking topic, but it’s all too easy to forget about the basics when you’re in the shop. The troubling thing with safety is that a portion of it is very obvious, but the other half is almost invisible. We look at a spinning table saw or jointer blade and clearly see the dangers. We see the razor-sharp edge on a plane iron or chisel and understand how it can slice into skin. We naturally understand how a brad nailer can bite us if we misuse it. But we don’t really see the ultra-fine wood dust, and how it loves to stick to the inner surface of our wet lungs. We can easily overlook the vapour from a finish in the air and ignore what it might do to our lungs. Hopefully this is a reminder to protect yourself, no matter how healthy and strong you think you are, so we can continue to work wood for many decades to come.
Airborne Dangers
Although my acquaintance was spraying (and breathing) primer, the airborne hazard woodworkers tend to deal with is fine wood dust.
Rob is a studio furniture maker and the editor at Canadian Woodworking & Home Improvement. Instagram at @RobBrownTeaches
Never a bad time to remind everyone about safety in the shop. I recently ran my index finger over the blade on my jointer. I was using my hand instead of a brush to clean the dust off of the surface, and also ran my hand toward the cutter instead of away from it. And then I did it again about a month later, and clipped the same finger again! I was practicing very poor safety in my shop, while going through some mental health challenges. A sure fire duo to injury!! I was lucky I didn’t lose the finger. But I did lose a chunk of it!
Well written and oh so correct. Safety first always!! Not doing so causes a person to become unhealthy, then weak, then….
Great job. Many people have jobs in potentially hazardous environments and conform to strict PPE requirements, yet don’t follow the same principles in their personal tasks. The reminders can only help. I’ve always tried to be a very safe operator in my home workshop, yet still had a very nasty tablesaw incident a few years ago. I can’t imagine not at least trying to be safe.
Well, they will eventually be using safety gear when they do become one of the ‘weak and unhealthy’.
I tend to use my respirator and 95 mask sparingly with the excuse that it’s an open door garage and dust will be minimal but I should know better. Dust consequences are often seen in the long term when it’s too late, thanks again for your reminder.
Wood dust is cancerous.
Every product you can buy ( for a workplace) has a MSDS sheet. It’s always good practice to read them to be aware of all the hazards a product can present to you and your family. Some products on your clothes should never see the inside of a washing machine. PPE Isn’t optional.
Good article, Rob. Whether one wears PPE or not, their lungs will last them the rest of their lives; the duration of that life, however, will differ significantly between the two groups. Personally, I’ve gotten to be old enough to be a grandpa by treating my body with respect… well, at least until ice cream is available. And I want to be a grandpa for many years to come. So PPE is just a natural part of the woodworking environment… just like turning on a light.
Safety is important at all times and even more so in a woodworking shop that has a lot of hazards. i can’t think of a place that has more hazards than a wood working shop – everything from sharp tools to wood dust to the fumes from the finishes used. I am quite surprised at the nature of the comments your acquaintance got with not more people pointing out the hazard of his actions. base on the amount of primer and the condition of his nose as you describe it, I would consider his actions extremely hazardous.
Very true article. I keep safety goggles, and different respirators at hand (for different hazards) as well as a full face shield, and an air supply hood. I have been a woodworker since I received my first table saw at age 10. I am now 74 and have had no respiratory problems. Everyone, please heed the author’s warnings and stay safe.
I totally agree with Mikes comments. I try to employ as many of the recognized safety practices I can and try to lead by example for fellow wood workers. Sometimes, to my dismay, it just falls on deaf ears.
That was well written, some people should realize that the best way to stay healthy and strong is to use their Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) instead of waiting til they become weak and unhealthy before finally using it. I use mine as often as possible when working in my shop or at the Men’s Shed in my community. Keep up with good articles. Cheers.