Power Saw Incident
Introduction
Serious injuries can result from the use of portable and
stationary power saws. Most accidents occur because either the operator
is inexperienced or the blade guard on the machine has been deliberately
disabled. Many different types of power saws can be found on the campuses
of colleges and universities that have Theater, Drama, Engineering,
Architecture, Art, and Facilities Management departments. Individuals
operating these saws often include faculty, staff and students.
According to estimates made by the Consumer Product Safety
Commission, there were more than 311,160 injuries involving workshop power
tools that were medically attended to in the United States in 1995. About
one-third (87,397) of these injuries were associated with power saws, both
portable and stationary. The risk of injury associated with stationary
saws is approximately 70 injuries per 10,000 stationary saws in use.
The majority of injuries from power saws are hand and finger
injuries or eye injuries. Hand and finger injuries caused by saws are
predominantly lacerations with some fractures and amputations, while eye
injuries are primarily attributed to foreign bodies. The most common
causes of these injuries are: hands coming in contact with the saw blade,
kick-back of the saw or stock, thrown objects (debris in the eyes) and
loss of control of the saw.
Analysis of Losses
Since its inception, the University Risk Funding Group (URFG) has
experienced a total of four (4) claims arising out of injuries to staff
and students while operating power saws. These injuries range from
lacerations to amputated fingers. The URFG and its member institutions
have paid out over 1.4 million dollars in claims and have reserved another
350,000 dollars for open claims. The Loss Control Subcommittee recognizes
that saws and other power tools represent a serious safety hazard and
general liability exposure for our institutions. Communicating this
hazard to all institutions is an essential step in controlling our
losses.
Identification & Analysis of Exposures
There are several common safety issues that have been identified
from the URFG power saw incidents. From a physical safety perspective,
disabled and/or missing blade guards have been a recurring theme in many
of the accidents. Whether installed by the manufacturer or added by the
user, guards are an essential machine part. Machine guards keep body
parts, clothing, hair and jewelry from getting caught in machinery, and
they help prevent injuries when machines produce sparks and fragments.
Guards are often disabled or removed because they are perceived to be an
impediment to the operation of equipment. The Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA) requires machinery with moving parts to be
equipped with guards. Removal of power saw blade guards is a violation of
OSHA machine guard regulations and noncompliance can result in civil
fines.
From a legal perspective, permitting and requiring a student to
use a piece of equipment where the guard has been disabled or removed may
be a source of institutional liability. Consequently, ensuring that
guards are present and operational limits institutional liability by
protecting the operators from a known physical hazard. Although safety
guards protect operators from contact with the saw blade, displacement of
the blade guard may be required in order to facilitate certain cuts.
Therefore, there are certain operations whereby removal of the blade guard
is necessary.
Another factor that played an important role in these accidents
was the level and quality of instruction provided to students who were
first-time users of power equipment. In most of the accidents, it was
either the first time the operator had used a power saw, or the first time
they had used it without supervision. Adequate safety instruction and
close supervision is critical for all first-time operators of power
equipment. Accidents occur most often when operators are not familiar
with the equipment and the potential safety hazards. Technical
supervisors of power equipment should make every effort to communicate
safety hazards to the students and should possess the knowledge necessary
to evaluate the students’ proficiency with each piece of equipment. In an
ideal environment, instructors and technical supervisors should have the
responsibility for establishing, implementing and enforcing safety rules
and procedures.
Prevention/Control Measures
Probably the three most important factors playing a role in the
causation of these accidents were: inexperienced operators, inadequate
supervision and missing or disabled machine guards. The following items
outline a number of loss prevention/control measures that can be
implemented to reduce the frequency and severity of power saw
accidents.
- Survey of Saws
A campus-wide survey should be conducted to identify all saws
that are currently in use. The inventory will serve as a
starting point in identifying the individuals who are
responsible for operating the equipment. The inventory should
contain information on the type of saw, location, department,
individual responsible and condition of the
equipment.
- Written Safety Program
A written safety program should be established for all power
equipment in use. The program should outline the
institution's standard operating procedures and safety
requirements for the use of power equipment. The written
procedures should also establish and define authorized users,
hours of operation, level of supervision required and training
and accident procedures.
- Departmental Responsibility
Departments that are using power equipment in their curriculum
should identify an individual who will be responsible for
overseeing all safety-related activities for that department.
This individual should also be responsible for ensuring that
all machine operators are properly trained and supervised.
- Engineering Controls
Engineering controls such as machine guards, signs and
interlocks should be used to minimize the possibility of
accidental contact with the saw blade. Power saws with
missing or displaced blade guards should be taken out of
service until the guard can be replaced. Operations requiring
the removal of blade guards should only be performed under the
direct supervision of an experienced individual. If there is
a question as to whether or not a piece of equipment should
have a guard, it is recommended that the user contact the
manufacturer for the operating instructions and equipment
specifications.
- Personal Protective Equipment
Personal protective equipment, specifically safety glasses
and goggles should be used at all times while operating a
power saw. Kick-back of stock and debris can be projected
into the eyes causing serious injury. Another commonly used
personal protective device that can prevent an operator's
hands from coming in contact with the saw blade is a
push-stick. Push-sticks are used to guide stock through the
saw and to also remove debris away from the blade.
- Training
Adequate and effective safety training is extremely important
for inexperienced and first-time users of power equipment. No
one should be allowed to operate any piece of power equipment
unless they have been appropriately trained. Training and
supervision go hand in hand, and when effectively used
together will result in the prevention of accidents,
compliance with safety procedures and properly maintained
equipment. In order to reduce institutional liability, it is
highly recommended that all student safety training on power
equipment be formally documented. This can be accomplished by
requiring all students to sign a training acknowledgement
after they have successfully completed a safety training
program.