Shop hazards: dropping clamps, swearing and being safer…in that order

I went to my workshop the other day, and because I was only applying a finish to a few pieces of furniture, I just put on my sneakers. I bet you know where this is going already. Before I started to finish anything, I wanted to clean up the shop so clutter wouldn’t get in my way.

One of the first things I picked up were a pair of 32″ F-clamps sitting on my bench. As I walked over to my clamp rack, I grabbed another clamp and brought it with me. Two hands and three clamps. This approach usually works, but this time it didn’t. I lost focus, and when switching one of the long F-clamps to my other hand, I dropped it. The pointy end of the bar made a beeline for my second toe on my left foot, as if it knew I opted to let my steel toe footwear rest for the day. The pain was pretty fierce, and a few choice words were muttered. I was pretty sure my toe was broken, as that poor little guy took the entire weight of a medium-sized clamp falling from about 10″. I can’t imagine the PSI that was generated directly on top of my toe.

I immediately thought of my steel toe boots, sitting there in the corner, relaxing. I bet they were glad they didn’t have to take that impact, even though they would have accomplished it with ease.

Safety is something we all take for granted, at least once in a while. It’s impossible to be “safe” every single minute, whether we’re in the shop, walking down the road or making a meal. Accidents happen. But I think I’ll be reaching for my steel toes for a while, even if I’m just doing light work in the shop.

Luckily, I didn’t break my toe. I limped around for a while, and the pain lessened. The toe is bruised, and it actually doesn’t look that bad. I know I was lucky, though.

I’m sure I’ll eventually reach for these same sneakers again when I’m only working on light stuff around the shop, but what are the chances an F-clamp will strike twice? Pretty unlikely, I’d guess. But having said that, I will definitely be wearing my steel toe boots for a long while. Even if I’m not working with long, thick slabs of hardwood, the tools we woodworkers use on a regular basis can sure hurt if they get dropped on your toes.

Speaking of accidents, I’ve only ever had a couple, and neither caused any long-term problems. Both were on the table saw, with a dado stack. In hindsight, I was using the saw either a bit too aggressively or slightly incorrectly. In both cases the workpiece was grabbed and thrown, and the tip of a single finger was cut open. I lost about half of the nail on that finger both times, and now have an ever-so-slight visual reminder of those two accidents to keep me honest.

It only takes a split second for an accident to happen, and the results can be catastrophic, so please be careful in the shop. Wear the appropriate PPE, understand how to, and how not to, use the machines and tools you own, and don’t rush when working.

Have you ever been injured in your workshop? Did you do something you shouldn’t have to cause the injury? Let me know what you learned from your accident, either in the comments section below or by sending me an email.

Work safe, everyone.